[3rd person]
It's been three days since Mlande had dropped the bomb on the royal family and the king was exhausted. The first day he got his spy-masters to spy on his royal guard, to see if they could discover who needed to be stopped. They didn't come up with anything useful, so he did the next best thing he could. He tried to help his daughter, Lily, awaken her [Identify] skill to help him. He knew that if what Mlande said was true, then this skill is extremely useful and versatile.
The second day after hours of getting Lily to focus on certain objects to try to force her awakening if finally happened. That's when he and the queen started to hatch their plan, they would go to their favorite restaurant in the city, which required their royal guard to be present, and Lily was given the mission to secretly identify then. Lily has been groomed to be a princess and maybe even a queen since birth, so she could act very well for her age.
When they got back, Lily told them all the royal guards titles and out of 10, 3 were bad. One was extremely bad, it was the one Mlande mentioned. The other two were actual spies from other countries. This made the king a bit depressed, he let his enemies so close to his family, if Mlande had never come, his family would be in extreme danger.
It took that entire day to find proof. Now that they knew who to look up, the spy-masters did their job well and managed to find the proof needed within the day. Gerald was feeling a bit paranoid and had Lily identify his spies as well, luckily no one was against him. He had called all the royal guards to the throne room, and he had asked Mlande to be there as a witness.
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[Mlande Pov]
I was on my way to the throne room, the king has been very busy and Lily managed to awaken her identify ability. She will definitely become a good diplomat or even queen in the future with this skill alone, as long as no one knows she has it. This skill was one of the skills every player starts with in the game and it only has 3 levels. The first level shows you the basic information of all things, everyone with the skill in level 1 can also block the skill from being used on themselves.
The second level adds faction reputation, or more like what faction people are loyal to. If she can level it up to this level in the future, it will help the kingdom a lot.
I arrived in the throne room and the royal family was there and I was given a seat next to the king, and Seb stood behind me. Lily looked up at both me and Seb, confused. She got too used to identify and now she met people who she couldn't identify.
"Welcome, Lord Mlande," Gerald said as he stood up and gestured for the seat next to him.
"Thanks for having me, King Gerald. I see forward to the show." I said with a smile and took a seat and watched as the big doors that separated the throne room and the waiting area open, the royal guard marched up and kneeled in front of the king. Lily was told to leave, Gerald didn't want her to see this and so she left.
Gerald simply nodded to me before he looked to the royal guards. He had already secretly sent a message to the loyal guards about what will happen here today, and they were all ready to take action.
"It has come to my attention that we have spies among us and I heard rumors that it might even be one of you, my own royal guard!" He said in a tone that was unlike when he spoke to me.
"What say you?" He said as he looked at all of his royal guards. But they were all silent.
"I planned to make this a show for Mlande, but just seeing you makes me angry! Grab them!" He said and unsheathed his sword from his back. It was a huge broadsword and he held it easily with one hand.
When he said this, three of the guards were confused, but the rest of the seven got into action quickly and subdued the three. They were yelling at each other trying to stop their former colleagues and friends from capturing them.
"SILENCE!" Screamed the king and the entire hall got silent, the three traitors were bound and on their knees, the rest of the guards stood behind them with swords drawn and pointed to the three traitor's necks.
"What's the meaning of this, your highness?!" Said one of the guards.
"The three of you are to be sentenced to death, here and now, for treason and for bringing harm to the citizens of Kremore." The king said in a voice full of authority and with no hesitation at all.
"Treason?!" Screamed one of the guards, it was the one who wasn't a spy, but a sadist.
"While you are not a traitor, you are a sick human being that needs to be put down. I will not charge you for the crime of treason, but I will charge you for murder, kidnapping, unlawful torture of innocent citizens." The king said as he looked at the guard.
Eight officials came in and saw what was going on, but showed no expression but anger at the kneeling guards. These were the people in charge of the law and order. They kneeled to the king and the king nodded to them and told them to rise before they started listing off the crimes of the guards and the punishment they would receive, death.
"Anything you would like to add, my lord?" The king looked up at me and asked. I was slightly shocked that he wanted my opinion here, but I shall help.
"Do you remember what I said about the hunt?" I said and the king looked confused before he remembered what I said about using every part of the hunted, to honor the dead.
"Yes, what off it?" He said, wondering where I was going with this.
"Allow me to put their bodies to use, as fertilizer," I said and looked towards the guards with a smile and they all got scared, one even started crying.
"Very well, I hereby sentence you to death!" The king said as he nodded to the guards behind them and they swung their swords at the necks of the kneeling guards, beheading them all at the same time.
The guards dragged the dead out and a few cleaners came and cleaned up the mess while the king sat down on his throne and put one hand over his eyes and gave a big sigh. He was exhausted.
"I wish to discuss something, King Gerald, but seeing as you are tired, should we resume this another day?" I said and looked towards the king. He looked to me and gave another sigh and a small smile.
"No, let's do it right away." He said and told us to gather in the dining room, he'd like his kids to be present during this, he could tell that it was something important.
We gathered in the dining room and the entire royal family was there, no one else but the family, me, and Seb. We all greeted each other and sat down, there was no food this time, only drinks, such as water and tea.
"Ehm... w-why can't I identify you?" Lily asked and looked at me with curiosity. The rest of the family looked interested in the question as well.
"That's because people who have that skill can also block it from others," I said in a gentle tone, well as gentle as my voice can get, as I looked at Lily. I then started to explain the skill in detail with them, about the levels of it. The third level will allow the user to see the skills and affinity of the people they identify.
"I see, is that how you could see that she was close to awakening it?" The prince asked with curiosity.
"No, I could sense that. The skill does not show up as a skill until it is awakened." I said and looked to the other princess, Mariana.
"Do you know about your skills, Mariana?" I asked and the family got a bit shocked and looked to Mariana before they looked at me again.
"Skills?" Mariana said before continuing.
"I know I have the skill to make things stronger." She said as she started to wonder what other skills she might have.
"That skill is called [Fortify] and it allows you to strengthen objects and when you level that up, it can even strengthen humans," I said and that took them by shock. To strengthen a human could make her a great leader. If she was on the battlefield with her subjects and strengthened them, victory would be much easier!
"How many levels are there, and what level do I currently have?" Mariana asked in curiosity, seemingly forgetting about her other skills.
"It's currently only level 2, it has 10 levels. At level ten, any time you strengthen a human, he or she would improve their physical abilities 10 times for an hour." I said, letting it sink in, before continuing.
"I suggest you use the skill as often as possible on random objects, but try not to use it too many times on the same object, it will lessen the "Experience" you get per use, and in return, you level it up slower. Wait 24 hours before using it on the same item again." I said and the queen was writing it all down. I then smiled widely.
"Aren't you curious about your other skills?" I asked with a wide smile, and that got their attention back to me. They all nodded and looked at me.
"You have a total of three skills, Mariana. The first is [Fortify], the second is [Enchantment] and the last is [Rejuvenation]. Which one would you like to hear about first?" I asked. The king and queen looked at their daughter with pride and I started to explain the skills to them.
[Enchantment] was similar to fortitude, but it could only be used on items and it was permanent. It needed materials to give certain effects. For example, if you want a sword with extra fire damage you need materials from a fire-based monster and a sword that can handle the enchantment, regular iron swords are bad for enchantments. Enchantment also has 10 levels.
[Rejuvenation] is a healing spell from the nature affinity. It allowed the user to heal the target over time, and the higher the level the more it will heal. Rejuvenation has 100 levels and there is not much difference in the first 10 levels, but after that, it will truly show its power. At level 50 it can even heal back lost limbs if it was lost within a certain amount of time. At level 100 it could heal back limbs that were lost years ago and also heal diseases.
This news took them by surprise and they started to plan to have Mariana present during the morning practice to have her level up both [Fortitude] and [Rejuvenation]. They also planned on getting her to try enchantment and level that up, slow but steady.
"Sir, do I have any skills?" Alexander, the prince asked me. I looked at him with a smile and shook my head.
"No, you do not," I said, but I kept my smile at him. He looked disappointed, but he was still very proud and happy for his sisters. The king and queen also didn't mind if he had any skills. That's when I decided to throw them another bomb.
"But I can give you one," I said as I enjoyed the instant silence and look of shock as they turned their heads to me at the speed of light.
"I'm sorry, My Lord, but I think I heard you wrong. Did you say you can give my son a skill?" Gerald looked at me, trying to act calm, but his wide eyes betrayed his feelings.
"I did," I said simply before I looked to Alexander and stood up and walked to the middle of the room where there were no furniture.
"Stand up Alexander and attack me with everything you've got," I said, but the royal family refused. They tried to argue that they would, under no circumstances attack their ally, they truly see the elves as their friends, and to attack their god, even in a friendly match would be extremely disrespectful towards the elves.
It took almost an hour of arguing before they finally agreed and Alexander took his sword, stood in front of me, and got into his stance. The reason why I wanted him to attack me was to see his skill in combat. I will not give him a useless mage skill if he is good with a sword, but if he is not good with his sword, then he might as well turn to the arcane.
Alexander looked at me as if confirming that it was okay to attack me, I simply nodded.
Alex stood around 4 meters away from me before we started. He started the combat with a quick dash towards me as he swung his sword at my neck. I simply dodged as I assessed his abilities. He was quick on his feet and he got a good grip of his sword, but somethings missing. I continue to evade as I try to look at him to see what skill would suit him the best.
After almost an hour of constant dodging, I end the battle but stopping his sword with my finger.
"That's enough, Alexander. Give me a minute to think and I'll let you know what skill you've earned." I said and the royal family looks at me in a new light. They all knew I was strong, I mean I am a god. but to stop the princes' sword with a finger was not what they expected. The prince is known for his skill with a sword and his high strength for his age. Theo only one in the kingdom that can defeat him in a one v one is his father, the king.
We sat back down and I looked back to the fight. What I felt was missing was a shield. He has a high strength for his age, and I can tell that he wants to be like his father, to wield a broadsword, but it's like his body is made to wield heavy armor and a shield, along with a big sword. I got tons of skill books in my inventory, which is how I can grant skills.
I look into my inventory as I search through the number of skills I've got. I was a hoarder, blame me. I could give him [Herculean Strength], in the game it gave the user an increased amount of strength, but as nothing really had a "weight" in the game, only a stat requirement for equipment, it was not very good for a tank. But now, it would help him wield his armor, a shield, and a broadsword in one hand without issue. But I continued to look.
It took around 10 minutes and during this entire time the royal family was in silence as they thought I was concentrating on my "task". I finally figured out what to give him, I can feel that the prince is a good person and a true example of what a prince should be. Compassionate, humane, and gentle, but also ruthless to enemies.
I take out 3 books and place them on the table we sit at, the family looks in curiosity at them.
"This one is called [Herculean Strength], it will massively increase your strength. I felt something was missing with your swordsmanship and I figured it out at the end, you are meant to be a tank." I said before continuing.
"A tank is someone who wields heavy armor, a sword, and a shield. They are also the ones that are meant to take a hit. [Herculean Strength] not only increased your strength, but it also strengthens your body, meaning that simple swords will have a hard time truly harming you." I put that skill to the side before I take the next book.
"This one is called [Mastery: Sword and Shield], it's a passive ability, just like [Herculean Strength] that gives you a better talent in using sword and shield combined as well as increased your instinct during combat. At higher levels, you will always know when a strike is coming and if you're fast enough you will always react in time to block it." I said and put that next to the other book and take out the last one.
"This one is called [Roar]. It's a taunting skill that can be used either on a single target or at higher levels, on everyone around you. It makes the person it's used on, target you instead of their current target. It makes then angry at you, enough to forget their current goal and charge you instead. It can be used to distract enemies as your allies strike them down, or use it to save someone. If an enemy is charging towards a defenseless person, you can use this on the said enemy and he will charge you instead. It doesn't last long at first, but at higher levels, it's very good." I finish. I let them think about it for a bit.
Alexander stands up and looks at the books and starts thinking. The king and queen were silent, as this was their son's decision and they want him to have all the say in it. Almost twenty minutes later he points to the [Master: Sword and Shield] book.
"I think this will the best for me, while [Roar] will help in combat and distract the enemies, and [Herculean Strength] will make me stronger. I believe the mastery book is the best for me." He said in determination. I let out a small chuckle as I look at him.
"I understand, but I was going to give you all three of them," I said, as I have way too many of these each of these skills. If I can use these useless books to strengthen my allies, that I don't mind at all.
The family once again are shocked beyond belief.
"How could we possibly take these skills, just like that!?" Yelled the king, to him these skills are each a national treasure.
The rest of the family agrees and the arguing starts again, I of course win and I guide the prince into using the books. One after another the books light up and then disappear as the prince uses them and the family looks in awe at the sight.
"Congra- Argghh!" I stood up to congratulate him when a souring pain hits me. The family runs up to me in worry and Seb held me and got me to sit down, Seb was fuming with rage but was holding himself back in front of the family, they could even feel his rage, but they also felt that it wasn't directed to him.
"No need to worry, the stupid empire has allied themselves with demons and are trying to burn down my domain," I said in a chilling and cold voice. Regular fire doesn't harm me, lightning can strike a forest and a fire can start, it's all part of nature. But the empire is using hell flame to burn my trees down, which in turn, hurts me. Not by much, but the sudden pain hit me and made me react badly to it. I was not ready for it.
I say my farewells to the family as I grab Seb and teleports back to my domain, about a hundred meters away from the fires. When I get there I teleport all the guardians except for Ynas to me. Ynas, as a dragon is extremely proud and loyal. The rest of the guardians are of course also proud and loyal, but no pride is can compare to a dragon. Having him here would not be good now. My plans might be ruined by him.
"Do not engage, and do not go past the domain, act as if you still can't," I order the guardians and Seb as we walk to the border. When we reach the flames, Seb simply raises his arms and the flames are extinguished. We all stop by the border, Me in front and the guardians behind me. Around a hundred meters away are a platoon of empire soldiers. They have stopped firing the hell flame arrows when they saw the fires extinguished. The leader of the assault looks at us with a smug smile.
"What's the meaning of this?" I said in a calm voice, even though they are far away, they can hear me. The leader laughs and takes out a magical device and holds it towards his mouth.
"A little monster dare to question the might of the empire!?" He screams as a provocation. I made my height the original, in part of my plan, I need them to look down on me. His provocation worked however, my guardians are angry.
"If even one arrow reaches my trees, I will see that as an act of war," I said, still in my calm voice, but even I'm angry now. But I need to do this right, I still don't know if there are any other players from Earth here. The man gives me a proud smile.
"I, Prince Dung of The Revell Empire can do whatever I want! Who are you to stop me, monster?" He laughs as he says. Dung? Fitting name for a piece of shit.
"The might of the empire will strike you down if you dare come out of that forest!" He screams. This is good, I give him a smug smile.
"Get him alive and anyone else you feel are important, kill the rest!" I order my guardians and as if they were waiting, they all dash out towards the soldiers.