Okay. This is not normal.
I had the werewolf restrained, sitting on the ground with seals around them, and Black Keys projected and stabbed in their shadow, which for some reason seems to also hurt them, so they want even more not to move.
However, even though the wolf don't want to move, they still did, causing themselves more pain from the futile attempt. It could only let out whines of self-inflicted pain.
Yeah, something's off. Even if a werewolf is a beast overtaken by bloodlust, any animal would stop fighting and avoid pain and danger. This one almost acted like it simply can't.
"Maybe because it actually can not." I said out loud. Dugal let out a grunt that said he didn't care, and that if the wolf managed to break free, he'll kill it either way.
I pointed my finger at the werewolf's forehead, almost touching it, and started writing a Rune Sequence for clarity of mind.
The moment I was done, and the Runes flared up, the wolf stopped moving. It blinked it's eyes...No, she blinked her eyes, before trying to look down on herself only to fail to move. She could only think as she realized her situation of being restrained.
"Can you understand me?" I asked, while loosening the magic restrains on her so she could move her head and talk.
She looked down at her body and limbs to see, she was in her werewolf form. Her surprise was obvious in a way her stoic mask broke.
The Werewolf Girl looked at me, before testing her mouth a bit as she tried to talk.
"Yes." Her voice was hoarse and rough, as if it was not meant for speaking. "How...am I aware right now?"
"Magic." I said back, not really explaining. "Do you know how to change back so we can talk?"
She shook her head, before lifting her head to look at the moon. She flinched, before looking again and realizing that her mind was still her own. Then she noticed the Rune floating around her head, and gathered what I mean by using 'magic' to make her regain her mind.
"Hmm." I nodded at her admittence to not being able to change back. Maybe, it's tough, maybe she never had to try before, or maybe moonlight is the trigger and she can't control her body's transformation. "Alright."
I brought out the Mythril Sword and she flinch, but I wasn't aiming at her right now. I focused my mana through the blade, forming a spell of wind and water.
Then I pointed the sword to the sky, and shot out a large ball of mana that flew up and up till it reached the right altitude, before shining brightly and pulling in on itself.
Cloud gathered and formed, till they blocked the moonlight, and the campfire next to us, illuminated the Werewolf Girl, me, Dugal and out general area.
She was looking at me with pure terror right now. Why? What did I do? It's just making clouds, it's not like I cast a thunderstorm spell or something.
"Now," I began as her body shrank back to a normal assassin girl once again. "I'm gonna ask you some questions." I leaked out my killing intent, putting my full attention on the girl sent to kill me. Her pupil dilated, as she paled, and cold sweat started falling down her brow. I then removed her magic restrains, even Black Keys, as she was still in pain from them. "I'm gonna make this simple. You attack me, I disarm you. You run, I disleg you. You lie, I behead you. Do we understand each other?" She nodded rapidly. I had a Black Key in the back of my mind, ready to be projected and stabbed in her shadow to keep her from running. "Also, the spell keeping your mind, is one I can remove at anytime." I added.
I slowly eased up the killing intent so she can relax just enough to answer without focusing on surviving.
"Y-Yes." She nodded in understanding on the power dynamics of this talk. "T-Thank you. I won't run."
"Hmm." I nodded back, before noticing some lingering mana dispersing from her head, due to my Runes of Clear Mind. Huh, that's a lot of hypnosis that was reinforced over time.
...Fuck. She's an unwilling child assassin, wasn't she?
"Alright," I pushed my discomfort aside, as I had bigger things to worry about. "Let's start something easy. What's your name?"
"Shedia."
"Nice to me you, Shedia, I'm Cloud." I said smiling. Then I brought my killing intent back. "Now, who sent you to kill me?" I asked the terrified Shedia once more, easing up the killing intent once she answered.
I paced around the camp clearing, mostly doing some menial activity as my mind raced.
The Kingdom of Alitia...is fucked.
"Holy shit..." I sighed, and pinched the bridge of my nose.
Shedia was sitting against a tree under the shade--I wasn't gonna keep up the cloud spell for long. I had an Isa Rune on her so she would just sit still, frozen in place--but not actually frozen--and to give me a warning if she does anything stupid.
Dugal was looking at me pacing around with a bemused look. He had a bloodthirsty expression at first, once he heard about how Alitia was really like, and the possible fights to come due to that.
"YyOOOoooUUuu SSssAAAaaaIIIiiiDDDddd BBBbbbEEEeeeFFFfffOOOoooRRRrrrEEEeee?" Dugal spoke up. I think he was getting better at talking. If you squint.
"Yes, I said it before and it needs repeating. Holy shit." I said again, as my wyvern grunted in response. "Don't you roll your eyes at me! When I deciding to be serious about this Hero business, I didn't think I'd have to deal with stupid shit like that. Bandits and corrupt nobles, maybe, but a secret evil organization that took over a country and ruled by Vampires? Fuck, does the Demon King even need to do anything? Half is work is already done for him!" I cried out.
The Zarakh Society.
Alitia is known as the Kingdom of nightlife and criminal activity. This is apparently because of this group.
An organization of criminals that run the underworld of Alitia, such that even the king is only in power on the surface. In truth, the Zarakh Society were the ones running everything behind the scenes, having risen to power, supposedly by killing the previous king's wife, causing him to fall into despair and not care about ruling his kingdom anymore. The current Alitian king was just trying to keep thing afloat, rather than rock the boat.
And of course this 'Society' was actually made up of vampires at the very top of it, acting as some kind of Assassin's Guild for the right price.
Now one could ask: 'Wait, how could someone with a stick up his ass as Gis, allow some group like that to set up shop in his backyard?'
That would be because he's part of them. Gis was adopted and train by the Zarakh Society. They were the ones sponsoring him, likely giving him teammates, equipment and who knows what else. He's one of the top leaders of Zarakh, and works directly under one of the four secret rulers of Alitia and Zarakh's leader, a Lady of Vampire Royalty, Haley. Vampire Royalty because she--along with the other three secret Alitia rulers--was turned hundreds of years ago by the Blood King himself (or in some cases naturally birthed?). Who I'm guess is either the strongest vampire or their progenitor.
"And with how deep the rabbit hole with how this Zarakh business goes? Seriously, it's a cornucopia of edge." I said, to which Dugal snorted in amusement, getting the meaning across our Familiar bond.
"'Edge'?" Shedia tilted her head in confusion.
I let out a sigh as something else came to mind.
Magda, the brothel madam of that village, where Cloud and his party were together for the last time. The woman who was a clue to the person that gave Cloud the suicide ritual.
Old Woman Aosoth.
That's also a connection I needed to follow up on. More reasons to go to Alitia presented themselves.
"I'm gonna have to put off dealing with the Orc Tribes like this." I said to myself.
I had the Mythril guaranteed from Count Kite, but I still need Mana Ore for magical energy storage. Can't make a country wide barrier for death fights without it. I'd have to pay a visit to the Mage Tower as well before I left.
"I can't go into this blind." I looked at Shedia who was now looking back at me nervous.
She was a child who was raised by the Zarakh Society. Hated for her low-born blood, and being a werewolf, but begrudgingly see as precious because she managed to regain a vampire ability. Shadow Walk.
The other vampires with her weren't worried about her, because as a werewolf, few things can truly kill her, and it was night of the full moon, so she would have heal up anyways.
"Shedia," I said as I went and sat in front of her. The girl was sitting up at attention. "What do you wish for?"
"...Wish?"
The question seemed to stump her.
"Yeah, a goal, or something you want to strive for, a persona desire or something?" I asked. If I'm gonna be using the girl--and as scummy as her situation was, I'm not obligated to save her. I have a world to worry about--at the very least I should compensate her.
"...I want the Moonstone Pendant." She look down while saying, looking already hopeless. Weird.
"What's that and why?"
"It's a pendant that would stop me from transforming into a wolf. I would always keep my mind." She explained.
"If it's just that I can make something like it." I said, and her head snapped to look up at me, eyes wide. "What else?"
"Huh?" Shedia tilted her head in confusion. Kinda adorable.
"I'm gonna be honest, I need someone to be my eyes and ears inside the Zarakh Society. And you just got the job." I congratulated her.
"...no?"
"Refusal isn't an option."
"Hn." She pouted. Then she furrowed her brows in thought for a moment. "...Sister."
"Excuse me?"
"Nn, I want a big sister."
"I'll...see what I can do." The fuck am I suppose to find that, in the supermarket? No, no, maybe one of the girls from Cloud's former party would...
Gis sent assassin after me at the behest of Lorian. Likely would have done it for free too.
She wolf girl nodded at my agreement in the background while my mind raced. I removed her Ice Rune from her so she could fully move about, but sent Dugal a mental order to tell me if she did something, and also attack her.
The girls--Neria, Eri and Ophelia--are likely to be targeted by Gis as well, wouldn't they?
Yes, they wouldn't be targeted for assassination, but they're likely to be targeted to be captured and brought to Gis so he would fuck them till they mind break, and then show it to Cloud. Well, me. I sighed and crossed my arms.
"Should I really feel responsible for them? I already cut off ties with them. Well, Ophelia I should help, but she'd already safe within the Grand Temple, wouldn't she?" I thought out loud.
"MMMmmAAAaaTTTtttEEEeeeSSsss?" Dugal asked.
"Hmm? No. Just people that were associated with me. I'm worried that connection would make them targeted." I explained.
"Hmm, targeted. Meant to extraction once Hero Cloud dies." Shedia said from where she still sat by the tree.
"Oi," I said back annoyed. "Well, you obviously failed in your mission. If you go back are you going to be punished?"
"Hmm," she nodded. "Not meant to come back having failed. Mis...Lady Haley would suspect some wrong." She explained, feeling astonished that she didn't need to call her previous owner 'Mistress'.
"Is there any circumstance were you can return and not face punishment?" I asked, then quickly added before she pipped up. "And having not killed me."
"...If Master Freider had been the one to order me." She explained.
"'Freider'? I'm guess it was the guy leading you for this mission." I asked to be sure.
"Hn." She nodded.
"Alright, then just do that." I said.
Her eyes widened as if she never thought of that, before a worried look came to her.
"But," she pointed at her head, toward the still active mind clearing spell. "Spells have range and duration."
"Right, first things first." I took out the Mythril ore I still had on me. "I'm gonna make you a collar that protects your mind, keep it sharp and clear, while giving control of your transformation." Shedia looked at me like I was an alien. "Also, you're gonna sign a Geas--I mean, magic contract with me. You can't betray me in any way, disobey me or hinder me, and in return you will get you a 'Big Sister', and the contract would have a duration." Shedia was hesitant but nodded and listened. "The duration is until I kill the Demon King or die."
"Okay," she nodded looking pleased. "Then it shouldn't take long."
I blinked at her words, then looked at Dugal who also blinked at her worse, before looking at me and letting out a chuckle.
"...Why am I surrounded with sassy little shits?"
Shedia pouted. Dugal roared in laughter.
Its been a day since the assassination attempt, and making the magic collar for Shedia. It was made to look like strengthened leather with a minor illusion, so no one would notice what it was or how important.
I was lying down on the soft grass in a forest clearing, hands behind my head, resting and thinking, while Shedia and Dugal were hunting in the area. I could feel the connection to both of them, so I didn't have to go search for them, and I told Shedia stay until she I can come up with a plan for her. The Geas Scroll was already signed, so I didn't have to worry about her running away.
But still, the question stayed on my mind. The moment Shedia returned to Alitia then everything else will begin. More assassins sent at me? Probably.
More importantly those Cloud's former party members will definitely be targeted. Do I really have to help them? I'm not responsible for them.
"...No. The second I knew I became responsible." I sighed and sat up.
It's not like I didn't have any idea on what to do. I could warn them, for all the good that would do.
I pulled the Class Card I finished this morning from my pocket. With Mythril to work as the building material, making Ether Clumps, and writing the Servant Summon spell formula, it didn't take much more than that. Mythril as a base material took up the burden of a lot of the needed issues, so I didn't need to search for ten different materials to make the card.
I held the Assassin Card I planned to implant in Shedia later before I sent her back. She wouldn't become a Demi-Servant, at least not a full time one. But be able to have the ability to Install the Card at anytime and use the abilities of the Servant within.
It was usually difficult to make a specific Servant answer the summoning, but for Assassins, but emphasizing the aspect of the name 'Assassin', I can narrow it down. Thankfully, I only needed to dismiss and redo the summoning twice before getting the right Hassan-ibn-Sabah, so the base material wasn't damaged in any way. Mythril being the only base material also helped, so there wasn't some fractures between the different items.
I wasn't going to give Class Cards to Neria, Eri and Ophelia. The best help I could give them was a warning, and the ability to protect themselves, but...
One, it would be too much power that can cause some unexpected waves. Two, I...don't think they deserve it. It didn't feel right, but that much power shouldn't be something people I don't trust have on their hands.
If only I give them the power of a Servant, without any Heroic Spirit attached.
"Wait," my eyes widened at the thought. "What if I do that? All Servant bodies are technically containers for the copy of the Heroic Spirit. But the vessel also have to be strong enough to begin with." I held a hand to my head casting a Mental Data Search. "Didn't the type moon wiki have a model for each Servant Class, that changed due to the actual Servant summoned in the Class? Not only that but each Class has its own Skills just, embedded in it."
So that's it! Make a Class Card, that only gave the base Servant Class stats and Skills.
"Just like that. No need to worry about sudden political reaction to new superpowers and what not." I let out a laugh.
Making the Model Class Cards as I came to call them turned out to be easier than if I made an actual Class Card, as there's no summoning aspect involved.
I made three card. Saber Card for Neria, Caster Card for Eri and Archer Card for Ophelia.
I put each in a letter with warning them of the possible dangers of Gis, and what the cards are form and to keep them on them at all times, to use to run away. Not that they could get ride of the card once they got them, since I added an enchantment that would always have the card be moved to be near them, even teleport to their hand if necessary.
I gave Shedia her first mission.
She would send the letters to each of the girls, and stick around to make sure they touch the card sent to them to activate the enhancement.
It should be easy for her to do all that in a day, since she had the powers of Hundred Faces.
Within the week, Neria in Cloud's hometown village, Eri in the Mage Tower and Ophelia in the Grand Temple of Iris received an important letter from the Hero Cloud.
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