Razark POV
Tired.
That is the only way to describe how I'm feeling at the moment.
My breathing was ragged and my muscles were sore.
My consciousness was threatening to shut down and my eyes were heavy.
Not only my eye, my body felt as if I was dragging a dragon on my back.
When we were back inside the village borders all remaining consciousness inside me seemingly disappeared altogether and the only thing I saw was pitch black.
"Congrats, you've managed to hold up ten minutes more than expected," A familiar deep male voice spoke, I whirled around slowly scanning the surrounding area to find no one.
"For now I am unable to manifest myself before you, I took a part of the backlash and let's just say in my previous state I took too much for me to handle," He spoke in a strained voice and I nodded before sitting down.
Why would he do it?
Maybe he's really not that untrustworthy
Should I give him a chance?
Questions and Emotions swirled inside my head as I sat there in silence and took a meditation form.
"Alright you should wake up in a few more minutes, I'm going to enter a short slumber so I don't know how long will I be asleep for, but I can say that I should be asleep no longer than two weeks," He told me before it all became pure silence and I felt as if a part of me had became dormant.
"See you soon I guess," I spoke to no one in particular and just laid down on the void waiting for my body to wake up.
A few hours later I opened my eyes to be met by a blinding light of the lamp hanging above my head.
"Shit why the hell is it so damn bright," I groaned as I raised my hand to shield my eyes from the lamp.
I heard cups being placed beside me and saw a woman with a white dress placing down a cup and pouring what seems to be into the cup.
"Hello?" I spoke or more like asked, because this woman was not a part of the expedition team.
"It is good to see that you've woken up Mister Razark," She gave me a soft smile before lifting the cup and giving it to me.
"Sorry but who are you?" I asked her, accepting the cup and drinking it.
"I am Moria, daughter of your contracted Goddess and Soon to be Sovereign," She answered and I spat the tea immediately when I heard her answer, my head jerked back towards the woman in front of me to clearly see her features.
Her silver eyes were the same as his and her bright blue hair was definitely the same one I've only seen once and that was when Alexia took physical in front of me to form a contract with me.
"I'm sorry, but your father is currently in a short slumber," I spoke, assuming she was here for her father.
"Oh don't mistake my visit, I've visited my father a couple times a year. In fact I came here personally to see you," She spoke as she leaned closer towards me.
"I wanted to see the man that managed to get my father's blessings," She spoke as her silver eyes glowed brighter and I realized she was peeking into my soul, but I managed to push her away with my own soul power.
"Impressive," She spoke in amazement, her eyes sparkled and her face as bright as the sun.
"I now see why my father chose you, Night Creature," She spoke in a mischievous tone, my aura flared up as my killing intent was focused solely on her.
"Who are you really," I asked in a dangerous aura and she just kept smirking and took a few steps back.
"I'm Moria, Goddess of memories," She replied and I sat up from my bed, checking myself for a while before concluding that my body was still replenishing my mana.
"If you're the Goddess of memories prove it and swear it upon your core," I replied harshly, Moria kept her smile from the beginning and opened her lips.
"Five hundred years ago you stumbled upon a dead man in an ancient ruin, it was there you received the ultimate spell rainbow flamed phoenix," She answered my question and I wasn't surprised. I expected she would've known if she was truly the Goddess of memories.
"I swear it upon my core as a Goddess that what I spoke was true and that I am the Goddess of Memories," She recited and a bright gold light shone on her chest before it dimmed back into nothingness and she remained ok.
"Does this clear your doubts Mr. Imperator?" Her gentle and sweet voice resounded in the room and all hostility towards the woman in front of me slightly diminished, but some of them were still there, lingering.
"Why are you really here," I asked her and she chuckled before holding out a pearl white orb.
"My mother wishes to speak to you, preferably immediately after you leave this space," She explained and walked towards me and placed the pearl white orb on the table beside the bed.
"Do tell my father that her daughter came and said hello," She uttered before she was engulfed in a blinding golden light and disappeared. I took the orb and examined it for a while before placing it in my ring, my gaze wandered aimlessly in the room trying to make sense of what had just happened.
After a while of silence footsteps resounded from the other side of the door and I was met with Angelica's piercing red eyes, and glare.
"Hey Angie, how long was I out?" I asked her, but instead of receiving an answer I had to tilt my head to the right a bit to dodge a palm-sized fireball.
I felt a few beads of sweat starting to form on my forehead, the problem was it didn't form because of the hot fireball, it formed because of the cold aura Angelica was giving me, coupled with her cold glare and intimidating aura.
I'm fucked
Conjuring a half assed barrier it was immediately destroyed when it came in contact with Angelica's hand that was coated in abyssal flame and before her fist came into contact with my chest. I used stalking shadow and appeared a few inches behind her and ran outside the door, not forgetting to lock the door.
'She must have some common sense not to destroy another person's house right?' I thought as I kept on running.
I exited the building I was resting and looked around, finding myself in the village and walked randomly to find the chief.
As I wandered around the area I noticed that the area was very quite and dark, but that quietness didn't last long as I heard loud thumps of someone walking and I got curious a bit so I activated my cloak magic with the miniscule amount of mana I had left and searched for the source of the sound.
I wandered around for a while before I heard talking.
"As per contract these are yours, now it's time to fulfill your end of the bargain," A gruff and deep voice spoke, I peeked a bit to see a big figure wearing black armor from head to toe, the helmet had a red plume facing back and a long black cape that stopped a few inches from the ground.
"Yes yes, here. The corpses of eight thousand five hundred seven rift monsters," I heard the village chief speak and saw him hand over a red orb which the knight took and placed it in his pocket.
"I hope to do more business in the future again with your master," The village chief spoke before the knight just nodded and turned around, the moment he turned around the knight disappeared from my vision.
But for a split second I felt an ominous gaze directed towards me. I turned around everywhere to find the source of this discomfort but it was all for naught as there was nothing nor no one around me.
Just what did I feel?
That feeling was so familiar yet different.
"Razark?" The familiar voice of the village chief resounded behind me and I turned around to see him holding a torch and on his waist was a bag strapped tightly to his belt.
Before I could get a word out to question what I had just seen the chief shifted his cloak to cover the bag on his belt and walked towards me.
"Gosh what are you doing here, Vice Captain Razark. You should rest more in the infirmary. Your conditions were quite bad when you were placed there by Lady Angelica.
He grabbed my hand and pulled me to follow him, which I compiled without many complaints and after a few minutes of walking in silence we arrived in front of a house. The roof was made out of red spruce wood, and the entirety of the house's walls were made from black oak. The house gave out a slight ominous feel to it.
"This is the house where you and Lady Angelica will reside, you may use this hut for now, as for the rest are at the village outskirts using a few of our bigger huts that have no inhabitants because of its position. Apologies for our lack of houses," The village chief pointed to the south and immediately bowed down during his last sentence.
I raised my hand uncomfortably and coughed nervously.
"No need for apologies. We were the ones that came here suddenly and unannounced anyways," I reassured him to not feel guilty and he just smiled before handing me the house keys.
"May you have a pleasant night Vice Captain Razark," He spoke before walking away from the house and soon enough the torch light became further and further away from me.
I stayed there for a while staring at the small torch light slowly becoming further and further until it disappeared. Thinking about the black night previously was no use now, I need some rest and the only way I could get my answers was from the chief, but he seems to be discreet about this matter.
"Whatever, it's too late to deal with this shit. Might as well get some shut eye before tomorrow," I thought, I walked towards the front door, my hand holding the key ready to unlock the door, but the door opened itself and the figure on the other side of the door made my blood run cold as only one word formed because of the person in front of me.
"Took you long enough to get here. Razark," The sweet, but deadly voice of Angelica hit my ear and before I could run away her hand rocketed towards my collar and pulled me inside the house, her aura was wild and ominous, her gaze was cold and calm.
"Fuck"
I jerked my whole body to the side to dodge a deadly attack that had no problem homing in into me and striking my waist that I barely managed to coat with my mana to act as armor.
Even with mana protecting the area, the impact of her attack was still big and I covered the area with my hand as I groaned in pain.
"Fuck me Angie. Didn't anyone ever tell you not to hit a wounded person," I couldn't help but curse as she just smirked in satisfaction and entered a room, locking the door behind her.
"Damn she hits harder than she did hundreds of years ago," I chuckled as I limped towards an empty room and locked the door.
"Angelo, you and I will settle scores after I return from this shit hole," I grumbled as I walked towards the bed and immediately slumped down. My body was tired and my mind was at an all time low.
Weird, when was the last time I felt this tired? A couple of weeks ago? Months? Years? Decades? Centuries? I couldn't help but still feel a bit uneasy with these new profound powers as the power it's related to usually requires the user to pay a fairly hefty price.
So many things have happened in such a short time that even my mind is starting to struggle to keep up with all these events.
Taking out the white orb Miquella gave me and inspecting the outside of the orb, at first glance it was nothing special, but it was later on I realized the material used to make this communication orb.
The core of a world tree.
"Those Gods really use things that are expensive as if they're crappy stuff," I chuckled as I placed the orb back in my ring and Looked up towards the ceiling.
"If I were given a second chance. What would I do differently?" I asked out loud to no one in particular, but as the comforting calm silence started to envelop me I closed my eyes to enter a short rest.
Ragnar POV
This village. This beautiful village was built on sacrifice upon sacrifice. Decade after decade trapped in this space, just to locate one item and retrieve it no matter the cause.
We were so close, but then he came and took it from us.
What was supposed to be a ten year mission became a hundred year mission.
My hand was gripping a metal glass and slowly increasing the strength of my grip made the metal bend a little.
But now that they've come, maybe, just maybe we have a chance to retrieve the item.
"Ragnar," A soft whisper resounded around me and I looked around my room to see a mirror pitch black.
"Ragnar" The voice once again spoke.
"Yeah yeah I hear ya," I groaned in annoyance and headed towards the mirror. As soon as I got close enough a black figure appeared, although his appearance was completely black and covered I could still make out the horns sticking out of his temple as if he was some kind of deer.
"This was nat according to oure deale, Ragnar!!" A loud shout immediately resounded just as I sat on the chair in front of the mirror.
"I didn't have a choice. Or would you rather let yourself be located by those outsiders," I retorted and he was silent before letting out a tired sigh.
"Thou art right. I was being too unreasonable," He spoke in a neutral tone.
"I have the product ready to send to you, how would you like it sent?" He asked me and I thought about it for a second.
"I'll come and retrieve it in a week's time, I still need to reorganize my village and I don't want the outsiders to see the product," I answered and even though the mirror was mostly dark I could barely make out his nodding gesture before the mirror started to slowly become normal.
"A week to prepare. This time I'll have your head Lich," I mumbled before walking back to my bed and slumping down on the soft feeling of my warm bed.
Dreams are for people who are alive and want to achieve something. I have no goals nor soul. I live just to repay my blood debt to him. Once it's repaid in full. It will be the day I die. I'm just a man who lives without a purpose. I live to obey and to give him what he wants. That is the sole purpose of this life of mine.
Oh Reymond, how are you these days?
The next day came upon us all and I could see the uneasiness of my subjects after telling them my plan.
"How are you sure this time we'll be able to win against him?" One of my subjects asked and I just smirked before putting down a red pill on the table in front of me.
"These are rage pills I bought from one of the outsiders. Of course this won't be the only thing We'll rely on. This will be used only by us to be specific by our vanguards," I start to tell them my plans.
"Our only hope for this plan is Razark Imperator and Angelica Blutstein. I will be responsible in persuading both people to help us, whilst the rest of you convince their underlings. Tell them stories of our hardships in the past," I announced our duties for now and seeing that no one was complaining or was going to complain, the meeting was adjourned and I prepared myself to meet Razark.
We have to succeed this time.
Our time is limited.
We must prevail.
Many thoughts and worries washed over me, worries that were immediately covered with self assurance and thoughts about what to do.
Without even noticing I was already in front of Razark's temporary hut. I raised my hand to knock on the door, but after noticing a presence behind me I sighed and turned around to see the familiar man with raven hair, black eyes, and his elegant dark purple horns that were curved upwards from his temple.
There's no use to overthink this now. I need to get his help for this to succeed.
"You saw it didn't you?" I asked and it seems like he did as a look of understanding started to form on his face.
After a short silence he finally opened his mouth to ask.
"What was it?" He asked
"That is our village's dark secret. Come we need to speak in private for this matter," I told him and he nodded and walked past me, opening the door behind me and entering the hut.
I followed suit behind him and closed the door. We walked towards his room and I noticed that Angelica was not here, so I had to discuss this either just with him or with her later.
"So what was that last night? Its energy was very familiar to me," He immediately asked after sitting down on the chair in the room.
"It was a death knight. One of many that roams around this cracked space. Its master has taken hold of this village for many years and if you could I plead to you. Please help us," I went on one knee and pleaded to the man in front of me.
"This is not a decision I can make myself. I would have to discuss this with my captain for permission," He replied and I sighed in relief knowing that he didn't immediately reject my request.
"Thank you for considering my request," I thanked him and stood up.
"Is there anything else you would like to know?" I asked him and he pinched his chin and closed his eyes for a few seconds before opening his mouth to speak.
"That death knight. How many are there exactly?" He asked
"One thousand three hundred ninety two death knights," I replied and his face conflicted a bit before returning to its normal facial expression.
"Are there anything else besides the death knights?" He asked and I nodded.
"Fifty thousand undead army and fifty sentinels. The sentinels usually are sighted in his castle, whilst he lets the undead roam free inside his territory," I answered
"You seem to have struck a deal with him," He concluded.
"Aye. We agreed to split this space's territory and that seventy percent of the crystals from the rift monsters are to be given to him," I replied and he just stayed silent, but I could see from his expression that he was thinking hard.
"That would be it for now. I need to speak with the Captain," He told me and I nodded before leaving his room and walked towards the exit of the hut.
When I got out of his hut I sighed in relief and hoped to any God who was listening so that they would help us.