Second day of posting 5 chapters in a weak.
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[Jason]
"Oh no." I murmur as the blood in my veins turns cold and sweat runs down my neck. "She's so hot."
The mamono in front of me is basically a hot barbarian werewolf.
[Image]
With a wild aura, but at the same time absurdly sexy. Her ebony body is completely toned, as if she is some sort of a goddess of war. The black leather straps she calls armor seem more designed to highlight her curves than protect her from any damage.
"Are you jesting, my Lord?" Artoria demands, furious in front of me.
Artoria's bitter tone brings me back from my thoughts in the blink of an eye.
'Hot or not, this mamono is a threat.' I think as I rise.
Without my shield, I grip the pickaxe with both hands, ready to fight. But the image of the necromancer behind the black wolf catches my attention once again.
"Artoria, Zyss, distract her. Whatever the necromancer is doing behind her can't be good."
Always ready for battle, Artoria clenches her fists even tighter.
"With pleasure, my Lord." The knight smiles, happy to see me acting like a true Lord.
Zyss pulls out something big from her bag, a type of repeating crossbow that looks like it came out of a steampunk setting. The design is intricate, with gears and pistons moving smoothly as she carries it.
[Image]
"When did you make that?" I ask, surprised by the weapon.
"I already had it," Zyss replies, loading the weapon with what looks like a bolt cartridge. "I just made a few modifications."
The goblin aims the weapon and fires several bolts from the crossbow at surprising speed. At least five bolts per second, some lodging into the side of the beast in front of us.
Caught off guard, the mamono jumps back as she's hit in the shoulder.
'This girl turned a crossbow into a wooden machine gun and called it 'a few modifications'.' I think, perplexed by the gremlin's ability.
The Beast, now cornered, growls, her red eyes glowing with a mix of hatred and something else… something I can't identify.
Artoria charges forward. Her clenched fist collides with the Beast's stomach, making her stagger backward. The force of the impact echoes through the chamber, but the Beast recovers quickly, her muscles tensing, ready to strike back.
"Make peace with your god, abomination!" Artoria shouts, her voice echoing off the stone walls.
The Beast growls again, her sharp teeth gleaming in the dim torchlight. She lunges at Artoria, claws slashing through the air. Artoria, however, doesn't flinch. She blocks the attack with her forearm, the sound of metal against flesh ringing out.
Again the Beast attacks, but Artoria is already in motion. She dodges the next strike, spinning to land a powerful kick to the Beast's stomach. The Beast stumbles but doesn't fall. Her endurance is impressive, but Artoria's durability is unbreakable.
"Zyss, keep shooting!" I command, seeing the goblin reloading her weapon.
Zyss nods in response as she fires another burst of bolts, some hitting the Beast, others ricocheting off the walls. The Beast growls in pain, but doesn't relent. She charges at Artoria again, her fire claws slicing through the air in a blur of movement.
Artoria blocks each blow, her movements precise and calculated. The Beast is fast, but Artoria is relentless. Every punch, every kick, is a testament to her strength and resilience. The battle becomes a standoff, neither of them giving an inch.
I take advantage of the Beast's distraction, fighting Artoria and Zyss, and run toward the necromancer. The stone sarcophagus is just ahead, and the hooded figure is focused on her rituals.
Black magic pulses in the air creates an oppressive sensation in my body, making my stomach churn.
"Stop right there!" I yell, raising the pickaxe above my head, ready to strike. "Bruxa!"
But the Beast is aware of my intention. With a quick movement, she kicks Artoria hard, sending the knight flying straight at me. Crashing her against my body.
The impact is brutal.
CRASH!
I feel the weight of Artoria slam into my back, and I'm thrown violently to the ground. Pain explodes through my body, and the air is knocked from my lungs.
"Jason!" Zyss screams, her voice full of concern.
I try to get up, but the pain is unbearable. Every movement sends waves of agony down my spine.
The throbbing in my back is hell itself, but the sight of Artoria next to me blaming herself is even worse. Her normally stoic face is twisted in a mask of horror and guilt.
"My Lord, I... I failed." Her voice trembles, and her eyes, always so firm, now shimmer with unspilled tears.
But there's no time to comfort her. The Beast, now with an even brighter glow in her eye, advances toward us. Each of her steps echoes through the chamber, a harbinger of imminent death.
"STOP!" Zyss screams, desperate.
She fires her weapon, bolts flying toward the Beast. But the wolf mamono doesn't even flinch. She takes the shots, blocking with her forearm, the bolts embedding in her flesh without causing no more than mild discomfort. Blood drips, but the Beast ignores the pain, her eyes locked on me.
"Zyss, keep shooting!" I shout, managing to roll onto my back with great effort. The pain is excruciating, but the adrenaline pushes me forward. "You to Artoria, keep fighting,!"
But beside me Artoria is catatonic, her eyes blank and unfocused. She doesn't respond to my orders, not even when I shout her name. The guilt is consuming her, leaving the knight lost in her own torment.
The Beast stops in front of us, her blazing gaze fixed on me. With a sudden motion, she steps on Artoria's skull, pinning the knight under her lupine foot. Artoria doesn't react, not even when the sole of the Beast's foot presses her face against the cold stone floor.
"Artoria!" I scream, desperate, but she remains motionless. "SNAP OUT OF IT, DAMMIT!"
The Beast then extends her hand and grabs me by the throat, lifting me off the ground with her great strength. Her hand temperature alone seems enough to burn my skin, my feet dangle in the air, and I feel the pressure on my windpipe, making it hard to breathe as my spine screams in pain just from being slightly moved. Her red eyes glow with a mix of hatred and something else… something I still can't identify.
"You..." the Beast growls, her voice guttural and full of rage. "You blinded me. Humiliated me."
I try to speak, but the words are trapped in my tightening throat, choked by the relentless grip. My eyes well up, and my vision begins to darken at the edges. The pain in my back, where Artoria hit me, throbs intensely, but it's almost irrelevant compared to the feeling of asphyxiation.
"Even with your new weapon I'm stronger and faster than you!" says the mamono, delighting in my agony.
Even in my despair, the Beast's words remind me of my new power.
"Mate... Armor." I whisper, my voice harsh and almost inaudible.
Artoria's eyes widen, overtaken by a strange energy that begins to pulsate in her body. She starts to glow, an intense silver light that outshines even the powerful flames of the mamono holding me.
The Beast, surprised, recoils, her red eyes narrowing against the sudden brightness.
The silver light continues to emanate from Artoria, pulsing like a ethereal heart. The knight, once catatonic, now rises, her body trembling with power and her armor expanding with the strength of the new energy.
"My Lord..." Artoria whispers, her decided voice charged with power.
The Beast, momentarily blinded, hesitates. And it's at that moment Zyss takes the opportunity and unloads an entire clip of bolts into my captor's arm. By luck one of the bolts hits the gap that connects the monster forearm to the rest of her arm. Pain explodes in the mamono's limb, and she lets out a growl of pain, her fingers loosening grip on me.
Artoria leaps toward me. My back still throbs in pain, but the sight of my knight approaching fills me with a wave of hope.
"Artoria..." I try to shout, but my voice comes out weak.
The instant our bodies touch, Artoria's silver light erupts in an intense glow, changing to the tone to a vibrant purple.
Purple Light floods the cave, every corner and crevice illuminated.
Startled, the Beast takes a step back, while pulling the bolts from her arm.
Somehow I feel a deep connection with Artoria, as if our souls were intertwining. The pain in my back vanishes completely, and a new strength rises within me.
"I finally fulfill my purpose." Artoria whispers, her voice charged with power and reverence echoing in my mind. "To be your bastion in the fight against your enemies."
The necromancer, who had until then been focused on her rituals, finally notices the commotion. Her eyes turn toward us, widened with surprise and fear.
"What in the name of all magic is happening?" Asks the necromancer, her voice echoing furiously through the cave. "Your filthy kind shouldn't have that kind of magical proficiency."
The purple light pulses one last time before disappearing, revealing... that I was apparently alone, clad in a full suit of armor, vibrant purple in color. Every detail, every curve, is a masterpiece of design and functionality.
I feel Artoria's presence, her essence fused with mine, shielding me like a second skin.
"But what?" I murmur, looking at my arms, now covered by gleaming metal plates. The sensation is strange, yet comforting.
I feel Artoria's strength flowing through me, as if we were one. My back is still sore, but I am filled with enough vigor to ignore the pain.
The Beast, still recovering from the intense flash, looks at me with a mixture of surprise and caution. Her red eyes shine with a new determination, but also with a hint of fear.
"You... what did you do?" growls the Beast, her guttural voice echoing through the chamber.
I crack a confident smile as I grip the pickaxe in my hands.
"I don't know what happened, but I know what I'm going to do." I say, making a dramatic pause and taking an attack stance.
But instead of striking, I shout loudly.
"FIRE, ZYSS!"
The Goblin sends another volley of arrows at the Beast, this time hitting her in the knee, forcing her down.
Before the beast even hits the ground, I leap with all my might, cracking the floor beneath my feet. But to the surprise of both the Beast and Zyss, I don't head toward the wolf Mamono, but toward the large stone sarcophagus.
[Image]
"NO, YOU FOOL!" the necromancer yells mid-ritual.
THUNK!
The pickaxe strikes the magically hardened stone, but the sarcophagus doesn't stand a chance against my skill, Zyss's pickaxe, and Artoria's buff working in tandem.
KRA-KABOOM!
[Inside the Coffin]
I still remember the face of my beloved older brother.
The great hero of humanity. Champion of the Chief God, admired by all… until the day he betrayed us.
I didn't want to believe it.
He was always my example, the pillar I leaned on. When our parents died, he promised he would always be by my side, that he would never abandon me.
The day he turned against humanity, bringing chaos and ruin to the people he once swore to protect, the world collapsed around me.
Since his betrayal, I've desperately searched for a way to end that nightmare. The mages and clerics of the order warned me of the risks of corruption that befall those who seek strength from forbidden sources.
But the fear of losing him forever and seeing him destroy everything was greater than any caution.
In my search for power, I found a powerful cursed sword.
Hidden in the ruins of a long-forgotten profane temple, surrounded by cursed runes, the blade pulsed with a dark and ominous glow.
As soon as my eyes met its blade, I felt its call in my mind, a seductive and gentle voice, whispering promises of power and hope.
'Together we will have the power to save your brother.'
Without hesitation, I wielded the sword.
The impact was immediate. A torrent of profane energy flooded my body, burning every nerve and vein. My eyes burned, and my skin went cold as ice. The voice inside the blade grew and multiplied, dominating my thoughts. I felt the power, but mingled with it came something else… something impure.
I fought to resist as I carried on using the blade, but every blow I struck, every enemy I felled, pulled me deeper into the darkness. I started seeing shadows at the edge of my vision, hearing distorted laughter in my dreams.
The sword wanted more, more blood and more control over me.
Luckily, the mages of the order arrived in time to help me. They said I wouldn't hold out much longer, that the corruption had already entrenched itself in my soul. But they could try to seal it, spare me from an eternity of damnation.
I accepted my fate.
They took me to the depths of a cold and dark dungeon. There a stone sarcophagus awaited me, covered in glowing runes of purification. I laid inside it, feeling the dark power within me tried to struggle and resist as the mages chanted ancient incantations.
The lid was closed and the world went dark for me.
…
Time passes in a strange way while I am sealed.
Days, weeks, months, years... everything blends into an endless haze. Darkness is my only companion, and silence, my only comfort.
Over time, I noticed something change. I don't know if it's me or the curse, but the insatiable hunger for blood that once consumed me starts to fade.
I was happy when that happened… until, in its place, came a painful emptiness, a loneliness that corroded me from within.
Something new makes itself present, a soft voice that whispers in my thoughts. It's not the same dark voice of the sword, but something different, gentler. It calls me, soothes me, makes me long for something I never knew I wanted.
Companionship. The need to be with someone, to feel a connection, grows stronger each day.
My body in response feels different. The coldness of the stone sarcophagus no longer bothers me. Instead, I feel a strange warmth, a pulsing energy running through my veins. It's as if I'm transforming, but I can't understand what I will become.
Loneliness weighs even more, becoming unbearable. I long for someone, anyone, to pull me from this darkness. The voice in my mind becomes clearer, more insistent. It tells me I am not destined to be alone for long, that someone is out there, waiting for me. Someone who can complete me, give me what I so desperately desire.
I cling to that hope, even though I don't know where it comes from. The darkness around me feels less oppressive, the solitude less painful. I feel I'm on the edge of something, a transformation that could free me from this torment.
But for now, all I can do is wait. Wait and hope that someone will come save me from this prison of stone and shadow.
So I keep waiting…
Wallowing in my feelings as I'm edging on my body needs.
Waiting until my prison shatters.
KRA-KABOOM!
'Finally... darling.' I think, opening a wide smile soaked in lust.
[Jason]
KRA-KABOOM!
The stone sarcophagus explodes in energy and rock, throwing fragments in every direction. The force of the explosion only doesn't knock me back thanks to Artoria's buff.
Dust spreads, creating a dense cloud that obscures my vision.
'Jason, watch out!' screams Artoria in my mind.
Before the cloud of dust settles, a dark blur leaps toward me. I feel strong arms wrap around me in a tight hug. Pressed against me I feel that the body is surprisingly soft.
"Darling!" Shouts a feminine voice drenched in need. "I finally found you!"
I try to break free, but her grip is too strong. The dust begins to dissipate, revealing a slender figure dressed in what looks like a sharp and pointy black leather bikini armor. Her eyes glow with a red intensity, contrasting with her pale skin and dark hair cascading over her shoulders.
"Who are you?" I ask, trying to stay calm.
The woman releases me, but keeps her hands on my shoulders, her red eyes locked onto mine. The intensity of her insane gaze is almost tangible, as if she's trying to read my soul.
She lets go completely and takes a step back, her eyes still locked on mine. She tilts her head slightly, a shy smile forming on her lips.
"Forgive me, darling. I was so overwhelmed to finally meet you that I forgot my manners."
"Riiiiight" I repeat, keeping my voice firm.
"I am Lindana." The woman replies with an elegant bow, her black hair falling over her face. "And it is an indescribable pleasure to finally meet you, darling."
Lindana lifts her face, her red eyes shining with a blinding intensity. The smile that forms on her lips is genuine, an expression of pure happiness that contrasts sharply with the tears of blood streaming down her pale cheeks.
'My father, grandfather and even my mother warned me about girls like this.' I think, frustrated. 'Why are the hot ones always crazy?'
'Not the best time to think with your phallus, my Lord.' complains Artoria in my mind.
"Darling, I've waited so long for this moment." Her voice trembles, laden with emotion. "I thought I'd never find you."
I swallow hard at the yandere affection of the lunatic crying blood in front of me.
'Any ally is welcome at this moment, my Lord.' affirms Artoria in my mind in a cautious tone.
Before I can respond, a roar echoes through the chamber.
"HUMAN!" The Beast, its eyes glowing with hatred, leaps toward me.
Time seems to slow as I watch the trajectory of the attack. The Beast's right arm extends toward me, its black flaming claws aiming for my throat.
But while time seemed to drag, Lindana moved swiftly, placing herself in the Beast's path. The surreal speed of the dark-haired Yandere leaves me speechless as a black sword with a blood-red aura materializes in her hands.
[Image]
With a strike as fast as lightning, Lindana cuts the Beast's stomach.
The slash makes the Beast roar in pain, a guttural panicked sound that echoes through the chamber. The blood that gushes from the wound isn't red, but a silver substance that shines brightly, even in the dim light. The Beast collapses to the ground, its body trembling as it struggles to rise.
"What the hell is that?" I murmur, looking at the silver liquid spreading across the stone floor.
Lindana, still holding the black sword, turns to me, her red eyes gleaming with renewed intensity as she licks the silver liquid from her blade.
Before I can question her actions, a spectral voice echoes through the chamber. The Necromancer, who had remained silent until now, finally speaks.
"Enough!" Her voice is like a whisper of the wind, cold and cutting. "My mission has failed. You, filthy beast, shall continue to serve to pay for your incompetence."
A cloud of green energy emerges from the Necromancer's body, spreading like a malevolent miasma. It envelops both the Necromancer and the Beast, who still struggles to get up. The mist is thick, almost tangible, and carries with it a putrid smell that churns my stomach.
Lindana, still holding the black sword, steps back, her red eyes fixed on the mist. Artoria and Zyss approach me, their expressions tense.
"What's happening?" I ask, my voice barely a whisper.
"The Necromancer is fleeing." Lindana answers, her voice laced with disdain. "And she's taking that mut with her."
The green mist begins to dissipate, revealing the empty space where the Necromancer and the Beast once were. The chamber, once filled with tension and danger, now feels strangely quiet.
"She's gone." I murmur, looking at the empty space.
Lindana turns to me, her crazy red eyes shining with renewed intensity. She lowers the sword, but keeps an alert posture asking:
"So... do you have your own place?"
Name: Jason
Class: Hero Lvl 12
HP: 460/230
MP: 130 / 130
Status: MateArmor [Artoria]
STRENGTH: 32 (38) [76]
VITALITY: 39 (46) [92]
AGILITY: 27
INTELLIGENCE: 26
WISDOM: 22
CHARISMA: 27
LUCK: 23
FP: 4
XP: 5%