Carolina Yeeve was a proud woman. Hailing from a noble race, one that was above the test of time, the sporadic conflict that ,,lower races" employed, like the human wars who seemed to have started before the world itself, seemed meaningless. Being captured by the abominable Litch King certainly didn't help her have a better view about the world. it was twenty years ago when it all changed.
,,The Hero of old" was the only one daring to contest the authority of the terrible King. He and his party of companions, dependable in their own right made their way into the black Fortress where the Litch resided. Spectating the bewildering battle when she was chained to the Litch's throne, Carolina couldn't help but admire the Hero's fortitude.
In a heated exchange of blows, the hero lays divine retribution upon the foul being that was known as the Litch by reducing him to ashes, though, terribly injured himself, collapses after releasing the Elf and arranging his team-mates's corpses for a possible funeral. Though she tried to heal him using the help of spirits, he found himself too far gone in hades, leaving the devastated elf in tears.
Still, it seems that the world had other plans for this tragedy. After a radiant light shown itself on the Litch's ashes, they reformed themselves in the shape of a boy, one who presented himself as "Benjiro Tanaka". Though frightened at first, the boy quickly proclaimed himself the ,,New Litch King". Distressed for the tragedy to not repeat itself, Carolina presented herself as the right hand of the late King and offered to assist him. Surprisingly for her, the outer boy agreed.
After having made introductions, he approached the corpses of the hero party, and to the elf's surprise, after having touched one of the female companions, she rose up. She was alive!!... what a gift this boy had! The power to fully resurrect the dead. Something not even the Litch possessed.
Carolina was scared.
After all, what could he be capable of doing if he had such power? What....
At least...
That is what Kiyoshi got out of her mind before being fully consumed. After hugging her from behind, the elf opposed much less resistance than he initially thought.
It didn't take more than a couple of seconds after having activated his 'consume' skill, having his whole body opened to engulf her from behind, that she went still.
The sight of his team-mates made view of exactly the predicament he had been concerned of. They were...
frightened, but most of all...
disgusted.
it also appeared as if this terror took both their ability to speak and move.
Strangely enough, Kiyoshi now found himself caring less than on the other situations. Had he gone used to this? It disgusted him... but in any case, something had to be done or his life would be over.
"Y-y-ou..."- Jarod was the first one to speak. Though an intelligible mutter, Kiyoshi's ears understood the words perfectly..."What a-a-are you?"
'I... have been cursed by God to become this... creature'-His very slight movement, intended to make him face the other boys, seemed to have an adverse effect. "S-Stay away... y-you monster!!!"- Andromitus was the second to get out of the haze and even managed to take a few steps back. It looked like his sense of fear was only second to safety.
William didn't even give a warning before trying to slice his neck. Too bad he didn't know who he was dealing with. Just before touching his skin, Kiyoshi broke the blade with his hand.
'Huh... this metal was weaker than I thought...'
The others weren't as amused. Seeing such an abomination before them, one that can even mend steel...
"Fuck... I should have stayed with those Gaia cultists...."
'Anyway, I think we should all calm down"
"Calm down, you just snapped a blade in half!"
"M-m-my blade!"
"In any case, why should we trust you, 'fuckname'? You just showed us your true colors. Now... it's no wonder you beaten the ,,One-eyed dragon"..."
"I can't explain it here.... it's... a long story. But I promise it will all make sense after you meet father Lawrence back in San Petro. He can vow that I am not a demon!"
"F-fine..."-said one.
...
"Yeahh..."-replied the other.
Although their hostility appeared to have lowered, no doubt due to his deceiving skill, Kiyoshi knew that peace wouldn't last until they got back.
In any case, if someone had to die...
IT WOULDN'T BE HIM!
Slowly pacing each step, the now fringely named ,,party" made their way through lavish ballrooms, generous libraries and even a couple of luxurious tea rooms, but no enemy came in sight. Kiysoshi had an idea of the possible opponents they would face, most probable to be the former Hero's party, which was well rounded, from what he could tell, being made of the Hero, a ,,tank", a mage, an archer and a priest.
The only strange thing was that beside the ,,tank", all his companions were female.
Still, Kiyoshi knew that if none dared to show up, it could mean only one of two possibilities:
1. The ,,Litch" does not have an observation skill, so he doesn't know they defeated the Elf
2. Even after defeating the Vanguard, his guards so arrogantly believe that it is not worth risking these nobilliar rooms
So which one was it?
It took them an hour of cautious walking until they arrived before the giant steel door what looked like the throne room from his memories.
No one dared speak near Kioshi, which actually annoyed him as the range of technical knowledge he possessed was quite small in comparison to the traveled adventurers beside him. How was he supposed to open the door?
It didn't take long for the solution to appear as the steel gate moved itself out of place, revealing to the five boys a wide, sparsely illuminated room.
The contrast between it and the other places they have been in was stark. While the outer areas were luxurious, seemingly looking like where a noble would live, the throne room had a much more gritty appeal. Stone floor, stone walls, with the only decoration being the red carpet that ran up to the throne. And the throne....
Skulls. That was the only way Kiyoshi could describe it. It was simply made out of human skulls, not even trying to hide the macabre persona that was the Litch King.
Oh, there was also that seemingly forever young teen sitting on it, a ,,boy" which Kiyoshi remembered to be the formerly Japonese Benjiro Tanaka from the Elf's memories. Twenty years supposedly passed, but everything about the boy was the same as in the memories, even his clothes being a Japonese highschool uniform.
"So... you are here..."
'You must be the Litch. Where is the whole undead part?'
"I work with what I have... in any case, if you've come to fight, I'm afraid that i would not be able to face you."
'Huh? Why?'
"Instead, I shall have these wonderful women here walk you out of this place. Be grateful, for I am showing you benevolence"-from behind them, the three companions attack without saying any word, taking Maxwell and William, who were in the back, by surprise.
The first had his hand amputated from the elbow before he even knew what was happening.
"Damn these bitches! If only I was in a forest!"-Though gurgling on blood, he still tried to defend himself with his staff, but the better skill and overwhelming number of the other ladies proved his effort to be futile.
Even as ranged classes, together, the Priest and Mage still out-matched the young Druid.
William wasn't faring much better. Despite being an archer, the girl that Kiyoshi recalled as Zandra displayed upmost proficiency with the knife and not the simple, rough strikes through which 'Kain' mimicked being a Rogue, but elegant, accurate slices, not even one of them missing their mark, so much so that their ,,pure" Swordsman started to look more like a mass of blood than anything else.
('Benevolence, huh?')
Still, something wasn't right. Something about these women confused Kiyoshi. From the memories taken, they should look normal, but even after twenty years, they seemed... old.
Not physically, as their bodies didn't appear to age, but their complexities. Their look, their skin, the smell of it, even old wounds from his memories still being on their bodies, they almost seemed like old meat from a butcher's shop. In any way he looked, they didn't appear to be alive. Not ghouls, neither zombies, but... moving sacks of meat.
In was then that he theorized this other world-er's power, the ability to Dominate.
"Jarod, take Andi and help the guys in the back. I'll take care of the boss in the meantime."
"Y-yes?"-they were frozen in place. ('All that talk about being tough and they buckle under pressure faster than a shrimp...')
'Go! What are you waiting for?'
"Huh...Yes!"
So he also started moving forward. Not fast, as there wouldn't be a need for haste, just the right speed to still be able to block a possible hit. Now addressing ,,the King", Kiyoshi could focus on what is important.
'Are you from Japan, Tanaka-san?'
"You? How do you...
Wait, are you also..?"
"Yes, I come from Matsuiama, sir!"
"I can't even believe it...
Wait...
How do you know my name?
...
Where is Yeeve-chan?"-('so it was number one...')
...
Stay where you are, kid"
'Yes, sorry sir'
"Thh, drop the ,,sir", I'm not that old. Now answer me, where is she?"
Kiyoshi was at about five meters from him, wondering whether he could make that distance, but then again, he had no idea what Benjiro's skills were. He had to have some sort of immortality if he was the same as back then...
If only...
'She is dead.'
"W-what?!.... no...it can't be..."
'Yes, I killed her'
"You... stop joking, with what skills she had..."
'I ate her'-he said while coming closer to the skull throne.
'And if I might add, she tasted raw, all skin and bones'
"No... how could you...
...you...
...you monster!"
'Well, why don't you punish this monster, Tanaka-sama?'
'Or.... is it that you can't actually rise from your ,,little chair"?'
"Preposterous,
W-why would I trouble myself!?"- Tanaka was visibly sweating. Kiyoshi only made an assumption, but it was now clear. The chair was what kept him young.
So he got closer.
"N-no! Stay back Kain!"
('!Kain... don't tell me he has an appraisal skill...')
'You think you are strong, mister Tanaka, but in the end you are only human...'- ('to not leave that chair even as I am two meters from him. Preposterous.')
"Z-zandra! Melissa! G-get him"
"Huh?"
"Just fire! It doesn't matter!"-and fire they did. In not even a second, a bolt of lighting and an arrow were spiraling towards him.
'Yes, it doesn't matter.'- Just before being hit, Kiyoshi pulled Benjiro and positioned him in the projectile's trajectory, effectively repurposing the self-proclaimed ,,Litch King" as a human shield. Still, he had to applaud their skill. If they hit him, he would have certainly been as dead as ,,Tanaka-san" was now.
His other theory was also correct as immediately after Benjiro's death the three ladies's bodies went limp, as if the ,,magic" had left their bones.
Kiyoshi was really lucky. After all, if Tanaka wasn't such a hormonal teen and also ,,saved" the bearded Dwarf that was the former Hero's front-line fighter, he would have been screwed. After all, while he didn't bother to test, his 'consume' skill certainly didn't go through armor.
Now only one problem remained.
What to do with his former team-mates?
...
...
...
He killed them.
...
Tired and injured from their fight, none stood any chance against him. In the end Kiyoshi consumed every body in the throne room. In was then that he found an item he long since searched for...
A tear-shaped black ruby in the form of a necklace. Putting it on, he was surprised to see all sorts of stats appear before him.
He finally had what he needed...
...
But
...
For what?