Wait a minute... why the fuck didn't i use a knight to activate the thresher AFTER i leave the facility? Now i'm stuck infinitely floating inside the void if the spiraling black hole outside the window is any giveaway. The giant dead leech in the room is starting to stink and i'm pretty sure the deer is trying to breach containment. I'm stuck between a god of nightmare, one of the strongest reality bending entity and a guardian made by God that can erase me to the atomic level. There's no way that i can fight any of those powerhouse let alone three of them. And the only way out is taking a dive into the unknown. Normally, no sane person would attempt this idiotic action but who said i was normal or sane?
Me: GERONIMO!
I fly head first out of the window as i start to spin like a jet powered fidget spinner inside the abyss between time and space itself. It is entirely unknown if i had been there for more than a 1000 years or have traveled more than hundreds of realities but all i care for is that i'm somehow not dead despite suffering immense pressure from the black hole. Fortunately, the spinning eventually start to slow down and i'm starting to drift to the side of the vortex instead of being sucked to the center. A portal open up and i was blessed by the sight of sunlight and launched out of the portal into the thick layer of chalky snow on the ground. I look behind and see the swirling violet portal closes in on itself and Sergei already there standing there behind the portal, i swear his ability to appear like that just defies the laws of physics. Dusting myself off, i look around the area and see that i'm stuck in a barren tundra during a snowstorm. Though it's uncomfortably cold, the temperature can't actually kill me. Lighting a small ember in my palm, Sergei and i begin traversing the snowy plains in search of civilization. It didn't take long for me to see clouds of smog rising up to the sky. We change into our cloaks and head there but i noticed how off the whole thing look. This is the middle of Antarctica but it looks like a festival was being held from here. It was all clear when i got closer as the nauseating stench of burnt flesh becomes more and more potent. I scan the area for a survivors and spot a singular soul near the center of the premises. Climbing over the hill, the area was revealed to be a raided village with burnt corpses littered around the tents. The soul i sensed looks to be inside the largest tent but what confuses me is that it's perfectly healthy yet smaller than an average one. Perhaps a child was missed during the attack, i pray that this isn't going to leave some traumatic scars for them in their childhood.
Turns out i was right, it was indeed a little girl hunched over the chieftain who is most likely her father. Three things throw me off track. One, this girl has natural blue hair. Two, She is barely crying over his death like a normal child. Three, the small dead seal next to her that i assume to be the food she hunted, is savagely ripped apart and it's not like butchering either, it's like someone decided to take 5 years of pent up rage upon the poor thing. Seeing as how the girl has unnatural natural hair color i'm banking on the fact that i'm probaly in an anime. Let's do a quick recap of her. What girl has blue hair, bizarre family relationship, sadistic nature and a home in an icy region... it can't be! No way that this is her! The only one that matches the description which i know of is that sociopath general. Fate, don't you dare screw me over.
Me: You know, this is no place for you to be child.
Girl: *mechanically turns around* This is no place for you to be either outsider.
Me: touché... What happened to the place?
Girl: Bandits.
Me: Don't you miss your father?
Girl: In this world only the strong lives and the weak dies. He was weak.
Well fuck me then this is without a doubt Esdeath herself as a child. The logical thing would be to kill her so she doesn't become the inhuman torture loving killing machine in the future. Yet the right thing to do here is to reteach her the ways of life. Alright how would a tribe leader teach their children? They do it rough so i guess should start with that. Walking up to Esdeath who has yet to react, i smack her hard in the cheek making her stumbles to the floor.
Me: Kid... DON'T YOU DARE SPOUT SUCH NONSENSE!
Esdeath: That is they way of life! If my father was stronger he would have killed the bandits and survived. Just like how if my mother was stronger she wouldn't have died to that danger beast.
Me: Yet here you are, the only one alive in your tribe although you're weaker than your father.
Esdeath: I...
Me: Bud, the way of life is that the strong protect the weak. That is why your mother died protecting you and your father died fighting for the village.
Esdeath: Y-you... B-but-
Me: Kid, if you truly believe the way of life to be like that then you're blinder than a bat. I can melt all the ice in this area in a matter of minutes yet i'm not killing you. You can't kill bandits while your father can yet you're the one who lives. Being strong isn't that important for no matter how powerful you are, there will be always someone better than you out there, the world is vast after all. Strength is but a tool for success, it is NOT the road to it. Being strong isn't about wiping out the enemies, being strong is to win a war without a loss of any life. That is true might, to be victorious without fighting. That however is not always possible, not in this cruel world at least. There will always be people out there who see the world just as you were seeing it and despises the life of those weaker than them. It is our duty and obligation to rid the world of such filth.
Esdeath finally realizes the errors in her ideals and the floodgates open as she breakdowns sobbing loudly at her deceased father. I honestly thought that she would argue more but seeing how she is barely 7 years old, i doubt a child would go into a full on debate. Patiently, i wait until she finish mourning her father before embracing her in a hug.
Me: What's your name kid?
Esdeath: Esdeath
Me: Well Esdeath... how would you like to learn strength from me?
Esdeath: I... would gladly accept.
Me: Call me Yosif or master if you prefer, that silent lad over there is Sergei. Pack your clothes and whatnot, we're finding a more suitable place to train.
Esdeath changes quickly, too quickly in fact, from a somber child who has just lost their friends and family to a little girl who is about to receive their Christmas present. Regardless, i was somewhat glad that she's this way, it helps distract her from thinking about the past. I should give these folks a proper burial though, Sergei gather up the bodies, we'll make graves for each and everyone of them. And so for the next hour, Sergei and i clean up the rubbles of the villages and bury the remains of the villagers in their own stone coffin i made using magic. Esdeath comes around the moment we finished burying the final person as we set off South towards the Empire Capital. I'm planning to train Esdeath in the woods fighting danger beasts until she can easily best a class 2 danger beast. Setting up camp for the night, Esdeath wanted to hunt something but i don't want her to overwork herself because we've been travelling through the harsh environment for half a day. In the end, i caught a wild boar and made simple shashliks from the meat with other vegetations in the area such as onions. I quickly find out that Esdeath craves for meat as much as Akame when i saw her eating 3 shashliks at once. Which reminds me, i should do something about the elite seven in the future, maybe prevent some of the members from dying for example. But that is a problem for another day, now it's time to sleep, i could use some after all the excitement in the scp universe. Tucking little Esdeath inside an improvised sleeping bag made of hay, i have to admit that she's rather cute like this. NO I'M NOT A PEDO. Can Sergei continue to evolve? I need to do some grinding myself to find out.
[pov switch]
Cries of despair and agony echo through the dungeon as the rattling of the chains and banging on the walls only get louder from time to time. A man hidden in shadows move through the eerie place, unperturbed by any of it for he has heard them too many times. He has recently been summoned by the new prime minister to meet him in secret in one of the dungeon's room. Walking into the designated room, the man spots 2 individuals already sitting at a table waiting for him. One was the epitome of fitness while the other is the epitome of gluttony being great general Budo and prime minister Honest. Taking a seat at the table, the man's face was revealed by the dim light from the candles showing it to be Gozuki, an elite assassin taking contracts from the empire.
Honest: Ah Gozuki, you're finally here. Do you know why i have summoned you here?
Gozuki: More troublemakers messing with you because of the unfair treatment that you give to the people?
Honest: Well yes but actually no, there would eventually be more of these rebels and they would be even bigger threats but not now. That is why i've called you here to further reinforce our troops by forming an assassination squad loyal to the empire.
Gozuki: How would we pick the candidates?
Budo: In my opinion, 7 should be enough.
Honest: And we'll be putting orphans to use or any children for that matter. It's easiest to establish obedience from little kids after all.
Gozuki: Kids? Are you mad Honest? What are a bunch of kids going to accomplish? The time and resources required to train them into assassins of my caliber is unaffordable.
Honest: That's where you're wrong Gozuki. Those 7 chosen kids will be given their own Shingus.
Gozuki: I thought they were lost to time?
Honest: Money is more powerful than you think mr Gozuki. There's also another matter that Budo wants to discuss.
Budo: While i'm a great general, my place is by the emperors' side to protect the emperor at all times. So that is why i suggest we find a powerful fighter capable of surpassing me and of course that person will have to be compatible with a Teigu to gain the position of general and manages the military.
Honest: We already have quite a few powerful Teigus in store so what i want you to do Gozuki is to find a promising warrior that we can manipulate.
Gozuki: understood.
Honest: Good, with that the meeting is now adjourned, i expect results from you Gozuki.
[Back to Yosif]
Me: Alright Esdeath if you're going to learn from me then there's something that we have to make clear. I'm by no means an ordinary person *remove cloak* and so is Sergei *Sergei takes off his cloak*. So is there anything you would like to ask?
Esdeath: How did you gain the power to surpass death?
Me: No silly i can still die and for your information i have no idea, i just woke up like this one day.
Esdeath: Are there anything special you can teach me?
Me: Well i could teach you magic but let's wait until you master swordsmanship. Now take this and give it a few thrusts.
I use cryomancy to make a pointy icicle shaped like a rapier and wrap its base with some leather from the boar last night to make a handle. Since this is no ordinary ice, it can not melt under normal conditions unless you generate enough heat to melt copper and the ice is as durable as regular iron. Esdeath takes the ice rapier from my hand and tries to stab a tree with it. I thought she didn't know how a rapier work but was pleasantly surprised when tip of the blade actually poked a tiny hole into the bark. That would've definitely drawn blood if it hit flesh instead, it seems she was made to naturally wield rapiers.
Me: Good, now let's go look for your first target.
For the next hour, we lurk around the woods jumping between shrubs to look for prey. We did spot quite a few deer and bears but Esdeath wanted a bigger challenge. Eventually we stumbled upon a class 4 danger beast, a great grey wolf (nowhere near as big as Sif). I offered t help her but like the hunter she is, Esdeath declined. She picks up a nearby pebble and toss it behind the wolf distracting it. The moment the wolf looks behind it, Esdeath has thrown another one where the wolf was previously facing. Confused by the noises the wolf turns to its original position and didn't expect Esdeath to come in from the spot i has just looked away from. When it realized that it has been duped, it was already too late. With a powerful thrust, Esdeath impales the wolf's right eye and ripped it out of the skull. However, this isn't a normal but a danger beast though a very shitty one. It survived the sucker punch and howls in pain while shaking Esdeath off. Considering how she was still a little girl, her weight didn't help her as she was launched head first into an oak tree, the rapier is still stuck on the wolf. The wolf retaliates by raising its claws to slash at Esdeath but she managed to roll out of the way. Deciding to play dirty, Esdeath blinds the wolf by tossing dirt into its remaining eye and kicked it in the balls (that's a little excessive but this is Esdeath we're talking about). While the wolf rolls around the ground in utter agony, Esdeath takes the chance to retrieve her rapier and stabs in the good eye before thrusting through its throat. The wolf goes limp and falls to the ground lifeless.
Me: Not bad, you were trained really well for a hunter.
Esdeath: I learned from the best after all.
Me: That maybe so... but have they taught to you how to fight people?
Esdeath: Oh? I'm fighting you already?
Me: Of course not, you'll die after 1 attack. For now skin the wolf so i can prepare lunch. I'll give a sparring partner afterwards.
Esdeath: Yes, master~.
Me: Do you really have to emphasize it like that?
Esdeath: Does it bother you, master~?
Me: Yes.
Esdeath: Then yes, it's necessary, master~.
Me: *long sigh and facepalm* This is going to be a loooong day.
Total inventory:
Ascended Wraith set
Enchanted runic sword
Diadem of supreme arcane might
76 copper 53 silver 39000 gold
Current familiars:
- Sergei the Skeleton Paladin