Chapter 98: Punishment, Allegiance and Banquet
Ray was annoyed. He had waited a long time, watching the Jubokko die slowly. One of his subordinates was an apothecary. She had created a violent poison from the venom they had recovered from the enormous spider's corpse. Thanks to this, the gigantic tree was finally dead.
In the space of a few minutes, all the tree's vitality had evaporated, and the enormous trunk had cracked before breaking. The impact against the ground had created a mini earthquake. The System had rewarded them, but Ray's mind was already elsewhere.
Greed had consumed him when he set eyes on a marvelous ruby. At the top of the trunk, where multiple branches were growing, the crimson glow of a fruit had caught his eye.
Unfortunately, life was never simple. The fruit was guarded by a bear. The ursid had the nerve to declare that the fruit didn't belong to them. As if an animal knew anything about property rights...
Ray and his team decided to retrieve the fruit and the talking bear skin. A fight ensued. After several minutes, the bloody beast activated a berserk skill and fled.
It had been a long hunt, but they had finally managed to catch up with the Viscount as the beast arrived in a human city.
"We're almost there, guys. Shoot that bear!" encouraged Ray.
One of his archers fired another arrow, which severed one of the fugitive's tendons. He collapsed, still holding the fruit against him. Satisfied, Ray stepped forward to finish off the beast.
Covered in wounds and almost empty of blood, the bear was barely breathing. Deciding to spare it unnecessary suffering, Ray raised his blade and cut it down. [Decisive blow].
His blade turned white as snow and approached the animal's carotid artery.
Ray! The telepathic link between himself and his subordinates alerted the leader. He pivoted his body quickly, activating a counter-skill. The attack came from the right.
A mental image one of his men sent alerted him to the enemy's presence before he could see it. His sword came between him and the attack. Ray's relief lasted only an instant. The force behind the blow was unstoppable. The blade shattered, and Ray felt a cool sensation tickle his stomach.
Priam was flying through the skies of New Earth. Making full use of his new meridians, [Kinetic Control] enabled him to move at the speed of an airliner. Seconds later, he saw Blueberry on the ground. Above him, a man was raising his sword.
Furious, Priam accelerated again. His meridians heated up, but his new body could withstand far worse. Three hundred meters from the target, he took advantage of the ever-present mist to teleport three times.
Reappearing a few yards from the stranger, Priam thrust Promesse. [Spear Strike]!
As if prescient, the man turned, and the spear collided with a sword. The difference in attributes, combined with Priam's speed, gave the swordsman no chance. The hoplite spear shattered the sword and disemboweled its target. Cut in two, the corpse of the anonymous man crashed far away.
Half a dozen men and women drew their weapons. Leaning towards his friend, Priam didn't give them a glance.
The bear was dying and had lost a lot of blood. Reaching into his purse, Priam pulled out a treasure almost as powerful as the Phoenix's Tear. He slipped the pill into Blueberry's mouth and waited.
Two seconds later, he sighed with relief. The miracle drug had already dissolved, and the Viscount's wounds were closing rapidly. The treasure was extremely valuable, but Priam hadn't hesitated for a moment - Blueberry was a friend.
At a glance, Priam noticed an object his friend was holding tightly. A kind of pineapple cut from ruby made his draconic instincts roar. Is it..?
[Identification]
[Crimson Fruit - Legendary] - A fruit born of the sacrifice of a grand tree. Naturally capable of reaching the rank of Duke, it never fulfilled its full potential. That same potential now pulses within its fruit.
The tree originates from another Universe; alien truths are buried within this fruit.
Its consumption stimulates the latent potential present in your blood.
Planted, it will give rise to a unique tree.
Blueberry had kept it with him, which was undoubtedly why this group had attacked him. Thanks, my friend.
Raising his head, Priam watched the strangers. His misty eyes were cold.
"Any last words before dying?" he asked in an icy voice. With a thought, the mist wrapped itself around the combatants. A mental command from Priam and a blade of ice would decapitate them.
The men and women before him trembled, and one dropped his weapon. Priam slightly relaxed his aura. His anger prevented them from responding.
"I... The bear had a treasure, and we wanted it. We didn't know it was protected," one of the women stammered. A strange smell emanated from her. Fear.
Hearing these words, Priam sighed. The world had changed. Poaching used to be a crime, and some bears were endangered. Now, wild creatures were potentially dangerous to humankind.
Priam intended to avenge his friend but began by calming down. Human life was too precious to not take at least a few seconds before judging them.
Objectively speaking, if I'd been in their shoes and seen an animal possessing a treasure... I'd have attacked it. If the animal spoke my language, I would have stolen the treasure, leaving it alive. It is not a world where kindness is rewarded.
Sighing, Priam looked at the six fools. Morally, it was hard for him to punish them for something he might have done. Do as I say, not as I do? No, Priam hated hypocrites. In addition, the main culprit was already dead.
But they had hunted his friend.
"You knew he could talk, didn't you?" asked Priam.
"Y... Yes." Under the pressure of his aura, it was difficult to lie.
"I'm not going to kill you right now. But you're going to be locked up. Your possessions are going to be sold to compensate Blueberry. That's the intelligent bear you tried to kill. There are enough monsters in this new universe not to kill peaceful animals. Then I'll ask Blueberry what he'd approve of as a sentence."
Blueberry had risked his life to bring him back a treasure. He deserved his support, even if it went against other humans.
Priam, however, was annoyed. The meeting was almost over, and the possibilities were few: three days in prison were too short, and summary execution was perhaps excessive. They shouldnt have tried to kill a sentient trying to communicate. Well, they shouldnt have tried to kill my friend.
"If I may..." Prometheus appeared with a dozen men and women. Priam noted that the divine army had the ability to teleport.
"Yes?" asked Priam.
"I'd like you to make an exception for those who might want to join my army. Their oath will oblige them to serve humans and respect life," proposed the King. The man didn't seem to hold a grudge.
That Thats slavery! exclaimed one of the condemned.
Prometheus glared at him, "I took the same oath. There are things more important than our happiness. You could restore hope to our entire civilization. Fight with us against the Revenants and all the threats the System will send us. Think about it, Priam, he said, turning to the man who'd just undone him.
"Um..." The proposal was interesting. Indeed, imprisoned for three days, this group would end up hating Priam - who had killed their leader. He didn't need any more enemies - even relatively weak ones.
In addition, they were skilled enough to corner a Viscount. Blueberry was a formidable warrior. Even if he'd had to protect the Crimson Fruit, routing him was a feat. Why deprive humanity of guardians?
Not to mention that Priam respected the King. If he really had taken that oath - and Priams instincts told him he had - then he was worthy. An elite army loyal to humanity... Humans were a very powerful race when they were united.
"Good. I give you these six, Prometheus."
You'll need them to be a good Shield.
"Thank you."
Not for a moment had it occurred to the two men that the fighters might refuse the offer. Priam knew that Prometheus would be persuasive.
Priam turned to the fainting bear. It was five meters tall and would be complicated to transport. He had to be cared for and allowed to rest, which meant transporting him to the Ducal Palace. Priam checked the beast's mass and sighed. Not enough kinetic reserve to lift him to the Palace. No choice...
He walked over to the bear and gently lifted his head - he was wounded, after all. Raising the massive head above his own body, Priam began to pull his companion towards the Palace.
"First, I'm going to destroy the last of the Abominations the Revenants hide," Priam replied. "I have a quest for that. A merchant friend will take care of finding and executing the Revenants in the more distant domes. We clearly won't find them all, but we need to unearth as many as possible before the next Reunion. Because of Anatole, a minor god has come into contact with the Revenants. It bothers me."
Alain held up his fingers before asking. "The god you pissed on?"
"I pissed on his statue, but yes, that one," laughed Priam.
"Blasphemy doesn't seem to bother him," remarked his father.
Priam grimaced. "I'm not so sure about that. I think he plays within the rules of the System, but he's still a god. As long as he just spices up Concepts events, he's got nothing to worry about. I'm just afraid the spices will burn us..."
"Hmm. What next?"
"Then I'm going to get some sleep and enjoy being with you," Priam smiled.
Alain froze before looking at his son. "We're going to be apart for quite a while..."
Concern showed in his eyes, and Priam tried to cheer him up. "Dont worry too much, I might have a solution."
"What is it?"
"A prize from the Colosseum: a space's seed!"
Alain smiled. "It sounds incredible son, but it's a seed, right? I know you've never done much gardening, but it takes time to grow a tree. So a space..."
Priam gritted his teeth. "I'll find a way, Dad."
"I know you will, son. I trust you to do it. But don't push too hard, okay? As long as we're alive, we can find solutions..."
"I'll be careful," Priam promised.
"Hmm. And between spending time with me, and creating a space, have you got anything else planned?"
Priam nodded. "Yes, I will meet up with a thief called Diamant. He's planning a mission that interests me."
"Who are you planning to steal from?" asked Alain.
"Dunno."
Priam took two mouthfuls, keeping his mouth closed, then continued. "Finally, I will try to get as far into the Colosseums waves as possible. I'll certainly be up against some terrifying monsters. But I'll get through it, don't worry."
"I'm not worried, you've got dragon blood in your veins," his father said proudly.
Priam burst out laughing. Soon, the tears began to flow, and he couldn't stop. Suddenly, he felt his elbow being tapped. Turning, he noticed Sphinx touching him with a wyvern skewer. Priam made an effort to calm down.
"You mustn't be sad," said Sphinx in a small voice. "Here, I'll give you my skewer..." The adorable creature also seemed on the verge of tears. Priam didn't know if it was out of empathy or because she was parting with her food.
Smiling, he took the young Lord against him and smiled. "You're adorable, but I was crying with laughter, not pain. You can keep your skewer. Hey, dont be sad. Wanna know a secret?" he asked.
"What, what?!" exclaimed Sphinx.
"You're my best friend."
The young Sphinx's smile warmed his heart. It felt good to be well cared for.
Status: (Average value for a Homo sapiens male before integration: PHY 10 / MEN 10 / META 0)
PHYSICAL:
Strength 236
Constitution 373
Agility 278
Vitality 370
Perception 458
MENTAL:
Vivacity 278
Dexterity 325
Memory 70
Willpower 406
Charisma 336
META:
Meta-affinity 219
Meta-focus 167
Meta-endurance 119
Meta-perception 71
Meta-chance 198
Potential: 5813
Tier 0
[He Who Eludes Death] charge OFF. Reloaded in 19 hours 17 min 34s
[Tribulation]: No Tribulation pending.
Future Tribulations delayed until:
Time: 182 days 19 hours 50 minutes 47 seconds.
