"No. Let me do that." Antonio interrupts us. "I'm useless like this aside from being a shield for the bystanders in the alley. Go help Xyle defend the high ground. Find a way to push the knights back here somehow."
"Good idea." Maul says. "Tessa, get moving. I'm sure you'll be fine, yes?"
"Not a problem. I'll do what I can. Antonio, if you run into any more knights break them. They're undead."
"Wait! Not all of them! Some of them bleed and I think it's toxic to the mind. The hero got covered in some of it and suddenly look ferocious for some reason… please be careful. I'm not sure how bad it will get."
"… gotcha. I'm out."
I rush off to Xyle as fast as I can. The blockhead is apparently in trouble if that's the case. I better stay cautious and try to approach him carefully. He might snap at any second on anybody with the chaotic madness spreading like this. As soon as I make it there I see and unnatural sight of Xyle. He was indeed covered in blood and had the craziest look in his eyes. But I don't the cloud of chaos on him. Not like the people that went into panic before. He was surrounded by the blooded ones. Dressrosa and the shield hero were also in a bad spot. Shield was as useless as a bag of broken bricks while Dressrosa was giving her all in keeping the hero protected with her magic but it's not holding long.
I rush in to the fight and break into the crowd of blooded knights and break their necks one after the other until I make it to Xyle. He looks to me with a heavy expression on his face as if he something horrible happened to him just now.
"Tess…" he was having trouble controlling his blessings. This must be frustrating him that he doesn't know how to open his paths yet.
"Xyle think about the dojo back home about your breathing techniques and focus. You'll be able to relax and concentrate."
"Shut the hell up." What the hell? "Don't you think I've been trying? This shit is all over me and it's blocking my flow and pissing me off! What's more, I can't even control it. I don't hear them guiding me anymore so I don't know what to do. I've been trying my damnedest to stay as calm and logical as I can right now and I can't figure out why it's so god damn hard! They won't answer me so I can't open my gate like you did for me last time. I was able to practice and get better at it after you forced it out of me but I haven't been able to since we got here. And now…" He raises his sword and black aura covers him completely. "NOW I'M FUCKING PISSED!!!" he slams the blade into the ground and send a shock out to the enemy and blasts a good chunk of them out of his way. I look to his sword and notice it wasn't the one given to him by the golden king.
"Xyle give me your sword." I demand. I have to get that away from him he can't absorb chaos so his sword is holding it for him and storing it.
"What?!"
"Don't argue just hand it over?"
"What the fuck am I supposed to do without one!? I can't just drop kick the fuckers like you can! I don't have an outstanding body like you do! I was modeled after the humans! I don't have the physical capacities you have and I fucking hate it! They gave you the god damn jackpot and left me with a bunch of no good dumbasses that didn't know what a fucking real fight was or what blood looks like and they decided that since I'm the chosen one I should know everything without training but they're dead fucking wrong!"
SMACK!
"Get your ass pulled back together an give me the damn sword." I had to smack him back to reality. His rage was getting out of hand and I can tell it's not just from the blood. That only just pulled the strings. Something else broke him, but I don't have time to hear it right now. "Listen to me. The chaos from the knights is trying to get a hold of you but because of your blessings it couldn���t and thus was forced into your sword which is making you go mad right now. Hand it here and I promise you'll feel better."
"… No. if what you're saying true, then you're in more trouble than me because you don't have all the blessings. You only have a few with one full." This could kill you, Tessa!"
"No. It won't. Unlike other goblins I can handle chaotic energy and absorb it. You probably weren't told this before but chaos is only a factor of what makes up my main blessing. The black gods power of harmony, the white gods light. I am the embodiment of balance. I can absorb it, unlike you, who doesn't have the balance blessings. Do you understand?"
Without another word and only a fire of fear, rage, and pain showing on his face, he hands the sword to me with a scorn. The cloud instantly collects into my body and a surge of pain rushes through my whole being. My heart stopped for a longer time this time. He killed quite a lot. I'm impressed.
I stand straight and take a breath as the pain subsides. "… You're doing good, hero. Keep up the good work. I know you got this."
Xyle's expression only changes slightly from a cringed raged fest to a worried one still holding that pain I was seeing earlier. What could have pissed him off so bad that he won't even give me that goofy smile he usually has? For now… "Come on. Let's clear this road block back down to the lower sector. We can talk all you want after this is over."
"…" Xyle only stares at me still cringing but still holds up his guard and takes the sword back. A knight rushes him and he hits it to my direction for me to kill it. We do this over and over until the guild arrives with backup. They add to the slaughter and use there green marks to keep themselves safe from the blood of the undead off of them. I see Xyle grow more frustrated again as time went on but he doesn't lose his focus on the fight. For some reason it was like he was trying to repress a berserker mode or something. We're finally able to start pushing the undead knights back into the lower sector. They were finally retreating until I noticed why. Using Palitoh's blessing, I could see the mages I encountered were waiting at the main gates. I rush ahead of everyone and make my way to the mages as fast as possible and run into Brights on the way. I grab him and we rush out to the gates. I was close enough to pounce one of them when Xyle suddenly rushes past me and gets ready for a big attack. "YOU FUCKING BASTARDS!!! I'M GONNA SEND YOU BACK TO HELL, YOU BRAT DOLLS!!"
JEESUMS!! What the hell!? The one without his cloak suddenly smiles at him as a dark cloud rushes out to him. "XYLE, NO!!!"
I jump at him and grab his belt and yank him back down to the ground. The cloud follows us and I step in front of him to take it all in. it was the most painful but I can hold out. I suddenly black out after a while of it, but it still keeps coming.
"… Youngling."
What the hell??
"why do you stand there and not fall to madness?"
…cuz I got better blessings?
"You questioned that."
I have better blessings. I can take it.
"That doesn't mean you will stand long with this much."
Then I don't know what to tell you. Now who is talking to me?
"The dark ones before you."
Why~?
"Because you are interesting?"
You questioned that.
"hee hee. Why do you save the summoned one behind you? I have seen your memories, and they don't seem very good."
That's an invasion of privacy, buddy. Get out of my head.
"but this is the only way to speak to you now. No worries time goes faster in this space."
… one hour there is a day is here?
"… hahaha. Yes, exactly!"
Fine. Now what do you want?
"I wish to know what keeps you standing tall in this darkness. I think I've figured out why, but I'm not curtain. My best guess would be that you are used to this sort of madness, by what I've seen in your memories."
Invasion of privacy.
"I can't help that now, can I?
You can by getting out of my mind palace.
"Ahahahaha! That is funny. Now, why would I want to do that when you are this interesting, youngling?"
…ssa! Tessa! Stop! Your taking up too much!
"It sound like the summoned one wishes for you."
That it does.
I'm starting to feel my chest burning. The black and white marks are pulsing. Are they related?
Since you obviously have no interest in leaving me alone, why are you here?
"… would you like to know? Really?"
Well I don't have a choice right now since your INVADING MY SPACE.
"Alright, alright. I understand. We are the church of peace. We wish to cleanse this world of corrupted beings with the madness given to us by our god. We have come to this world from another to do so and make this the ideal for us and all others that follow. Those that fall to the madness are not worthy of our gods blessings. We have come across many worlds and cleansed them of impurities and have come to do the same here. All those here have already succumbed to the madness just as the summoned one… all but you, which has given me hope that this world is the ideal place for our salvation and teachings. Only those that can withstand the madness can follow us to the new world. And we have chosen this one for our missionary works. Be relieved, for you have saved your world from absolute destruction and dismay. Now that I know that there are those like you here, we can finally spread the works of our god to this world."
Shit my body can stand this pain any longer and Xyle won't stop yelling at me to get out the way. His voice is in slow motion and that is hilarious but that's the only entertainment I got right now. I need to wrap this up, but how?
"with that being said, won't you join us for our cause and help us cleanse this world of yours of its corrupted species? And better still you could be by me as my queen, youngling. Since I now know that you can reproduce with any other species."
Yeah, hard pass on that one, pal. I'm not into undead aliens.
"… I can assure you, that we are very much alive and, as you have experienced firsthand, well versed in battle. That army could be yours as well. All you need to do is say yes."
Still no, hun. I think I'm good as I am.
"… Then how about this? I won't let you out of this space until you say yes. I know your body is at its limit now with how much it can take in. it will only be a matter of time before you collapse and break, and that would be saddening for me since I have taken a liking to you. Won't you reconsider? Unless you can figure out how to get out of this dark space, I won't let you go until then."
…dark space? That's what this is?
"…??"
If that's all this is then I just need to make it a colorful one right?
"huh?"
I try to focus on the space around me. It was grey and empty. Like this fools head apparently. Empty�� then lets fill it. A sound place from behind me and focus on it the keep it playing. I think of a song and have it play like a background. Kyouki Ranbu. The room starts to feel like it was moving to the rhythm of the song as quickly as it started. I could feel the pain subside and ease into a comfortable feeling. A familiar feeling. It felt like… Malcum. He was here in this space. I look around and low and behold, the black god was standing to the side far away from us like a black statue with a white mask on. He made it easy to see that this idea was working. The room suddenly starts moving and changing colors. The colors I would think of when I heard this song play. The colors started taking shapes as if the space was coming to life.
"what…!? What are you doing? Stop this at once! What is this!? Ah!! Aahh! That sound! What is this it hurts! What are doing!?"
The mage suddenly gives me a look of horror as if he just met his maker. I don't like that look but it better than that over confident personality of his.
Its call color, hun. Something you obviously don't have enough of in your life.
A brown streak of light suddenly passes my eyes and I instinctively get distracted by it and touch my head. The background music becomes something subtle as I touch my new locks. Nice. The music picks back up and I am feeling good. Now a black cloud flows up from my shadow. His face now seems relieved then goes right back to horror again and finally to frustration. The cloud was at my command. I send it back to him and he tries to push it back at me and fails. I scared him so much that he lost focus and he suddenly falls out of the space. We were both back to reality. The knights had their swords pointed at him now. He was glaring at me with his empty eyes now filling with color. His irises were turning white. The other mage were the same. I smile at them and the knights rush at them and chase them out of the gates. The mages start to attack the knights now. Man, I'm tired.
"Hero!" I hear an annoying voice call to Xyle, who was fighting off yet another mage that somehow got past the other goblins I sent to the alleys. You guys had one job. Xyle seemed to be holding his own against the mage that was left behind. He gets the mage on the ground and pins him. This mage looked a bit different that the others, but nonetheless, we won. There were no cheers or applause, but rather exhaustion and fatigue from the madness those mages spread through here.
"I will be back for you, youngling. I will kill him and set this world free from its corrupted ways. And I will kill your gods too. I was already able to destroy two, and the rest are next."
Go ahead and try, airhead. I'm sure the gods here will be more than happy to teach you what it means to anger them and their kings. Now get the fuck out of my head!
… I'm free. I can think normally again. I sit and feel someone's hands on my shoulder. Maul and Brights were by my sides watching Xyle get all the praise from his party which got the rest of the populous to cheer him on as well. He looked a little normal again. That's good.
"Those ungrateful ingrates." Brights says with a rumble in his throat. "If it weren't for the goblins, we would have had far more lost lives than casualties."
"Leave it, Brights." I tell him. I'm out of breath and energy to argue. He may be right, but that's how any world works. You can't change their way of thinking. He's a hero. I am a goblin. And that's fine with me.
You are a king.
Yeah. That. I guess I got a lot to do, too. As the crowd slowly makes their way to Xyle and praise him for his efforts, I try to relax finally until Palitoh's mark burns my eyes. I close them to make it stop but I could still "see" something. The mage was casting something without his staff. Without thinking, I stand and rush after Xyle who was holding a kid like a big brother would.
Activating [core].
[Alfa trigger] ready.
All senses set for battle.
All limits at max capacity.
All base skills at max level set.
[Obsidian] blessing ready for response.
Before I knew it, Xyle and the kid were flying across the street and I was in his place. I was surrounded in a white light and everything was burning. I couldn't scream from the pain… now I can't feel anything.
… hello?
… hello, my king.
I'm not dead if you're still here.
No. you're not. But you won't be able to wake for a while.
I see.
I can see him clearly. Malcum towered over me like an obsidian statue with a white face this time. As if he was simply clad in black. His form was complete too. A floating claw-like hand reaches for me and pets my hair. The other was at his chest holding something. It was weird. He had this soft feeling about him. It was so peaceful and soothing. He suddenly stops and vanishes, leaving me in this dead space.
Wait… don't go yet. I don't want to be here by myself!
I won't leave you. But I will not forgive anyone that will try to harm you. I can return to my realm with the others. But I will never let be alone.
… Alright. Thank you. But what do you mean by that? Who is trying to hurt me?... hello?
¤ ¤ ¤ ¤ ¤
"Malcum…?"
"…Palitoh."
"Heh… hehahahah! Hyulah, look your double is back!"
"I can see this, Palitoh." Hyulah retorts.
"Welcome back. We've been waiting for you to return. But where are you right now?" Liluna asks curiously.
"I was about to tell you all."
Malcum lifts his hands from Tessa's Body and shrinks down to the size of a building and picks up Tessa's body carefully.
"This child you sent has been keeping me company in her vessel. I have made her my chosen king. And she has lived up to this very well."
"… I remember this child. I asked Liluna to bless her with me because I felt bad for getting her mixed in all of this nonsense with that fallen church of balance. And then Hyulah woke up out of nowhere sent her something with her blessing." Bateyalo explains.
"Her voice woke me up and satisfied me. So I gave it back since you idiots completely changed her being the least I could do was let her feel comfortable in her own body." Hyulah tells them, openly frustrated. The other gods bow in shame.
"It's fine. I got something good out of this."
"Then I'll need to find a new king as well." Hyulah says. "After this fiasco, I'll need to do so soon."
"Understandable."
"Well in the meantime, how about we thank the little lady for her help."
"Honestly, we should have made her the hero with her talents. Youngling or not, she would make a perfect hero." Raida complains.
"Then we will simply make her his guardian. That way she will be able to watch over him." Julah says happily.
"So you want to give her more of a burden or did you not see what she has gone through just now to get this way, Julah?"
"D-don't be angry with me."
"I will give her my full blessing. She deserves to live a peaceful life of her own."
"She already has mine in full after freeing my king from his throne."
"That's actually not a bad idea. She can have mine too from all the courage she displayed over these few years. Though they were few, her accomplishments were grand."
"I agree. Let us all bless this Youngling."
"She will have to still earn mine. I will keep watch over her with you, brother. She will prove to be a great asset to this world."
"… That she will. I'm sure."
"Well, we are in agreement. She will still need to find and free the other kings so they may meet again."
"What of the hero?"
"He can continue. It's not like he did anything wrong. He just wasn't fully informed."
"He'll need to find new companions soon, but we'll have to see."
"Then let us go home, Brother. We have much to do."
¤ ¤ ¤ ¤ ¤
I wake up to a blurry ceiling and look around a spinning room. Familiar faces were around me but I couldn't tell where I was. Not until a shivering voice calls to me…
To be continued