Chapter 67: Season 2 Finale (2/2)

She pondered the question for a while, before settling it with one word. “Okay.”

He didn’t expect it. “Really?”

“You spared my brother, Vic,” Chocolatine said, sounding a lot more mature, “And you have been so nice to me. If you need some time to figure yourself out, it would be very mean of me not to give you space.”

That… that was an extraordinarily mature response from her. “Thanks,” he said, not knowing what else to add.

“Hey!” A male voice came from behind a cell’s closed door. “When am I getting a trial? I’ve been there forever!”

Victor exchanged a glance with Chocolatine, who seemed as puzzled as him. “Who are you again?” the Vizier asked.

“Wizi.”

“... yes?”

The prisoner let out a very heavy sigh. “The magician, during the raid.”

Ah! That guy! Victor smiled sheepishly, unable to find a nice way to word it. “I had a great deal of trouble to deal with recently, I, uh, I kinda forgot you?”

“Y-you forgot a prisoner of war?” the magician choked. “You monster!”

“Alright, I’ll just send you to the mines for the next thirty years,” Victor decided. While Croissant had cooperated with the enemy, that one tried to abduct and kill defenseless wyrmlings.

After leaving the prisoner to his angry screams and separating from Chocolatine, Victor moved to another chamber in the castle, which Miel the angel had transformed into a temporary office.

“Ah, dear clie—I mean, Mr. Victor!” She was in an awfully good mood today, finishing arranging papers on her desk with a cheery smile. “Good to see you.”

“As well, Miel. With Savoureuse’s testimony, I hope the tensions between your employers and Happyland lessened?” Malfy at least, while struggling to recover, had taken his assassination attempt very personally.

“While Heaven and Happyland will never cooperate, we agreed that a third party trying to exploit our divisions complicate our distinguished market rivalry,” Miel replied. “The fomors have also been historical enemies to mortals, so my superiors agreed to offer summoned creatures support. They found this Dragon Watch a very positive direction for your country.”

“I dunno when we will act on Vainqueur’s speech though. We’re a long time away from launching an invasion of Prydain or other fomor lands, and we need to train our army first.”

Vainqueur had also been giddy since he learned about the exploration fleets and the rewards offered for discovering new lands. Fulfilling quests would help their minions at leveling, gather resources needed to build a fleet, and allow Victor to promote the monsters to higher forms.

Besides, even if Vainqueur's amazing speech had convinced the population to adopt a new currency, allowing the government to start regulating inflation, their economy remained very shaky. The Empire was in the process of stabilizing, but not fully solid yet.

“Considering your karma moved into a strong shade of chaotic good, I can only encourage your current decisions.” Miel’s smile froze, as she read the papers. “A karma rise one would call meteoritic, even suspicious. I hope magical enhancements or special Perks were not involved?”

After everything he learned about himself these past months… there was only one answer to give.

“Nah,” Victor lied. “It’s all talent.”

Charisma check successful!

“Perfect!” the angel replied, overcome by his Grand Vizier charm.

“Indeed, because now that my karma score is in the green, I wish to renegotiate more favorable terms,” Victor ruthlessly exploited the situation. “Paying half my SP and months of paperwork doesn’t sound good. I have also another idea which can benefit us both.”

“Considering your massive improvement in your karma score and standing up for my virtue while accused by heathens, this should be easy,” the angel nodded, before smelling an opportunity. “What idea do you have in mind?”

“We need a public service. Free healing, social services, education... but Vainqueur’s refusal to spend any gold makes it impossible the traditional way. So, I’ve been thinking, instead of raising taxes, we could ask citizens to donate a small part of their SP to you, in exchange for angels providing key services.”

“A Special Points levy?” The idea made Miel giddy. “If all citizens of your country even donate ten SP every week…”

“And they would rather offer a renewable resource they all have other than gold. We get the best of all worlds. I’m thinking of a three years trial period if it can be arranged.”

“This is brilliant! My superiors will love it! I may even get promoted to the higher form of [Principality], with my own angel unit!” Miel’s mood was now sky-high. “Maybe we could discuss it around a cup of coffee you offered me a while ago?”

Victor’s mind wandered off, and while he would have once jumped at the occasion… his own reluctant answer surprised him.

“Maybe another time,” he said, unconvinced.

In the heart of the dark forest, amidst black roots and snarling trees, the fairy lords of the Fomors had gathered.

The ancient terrors had answered the call of Mell Odieuse, to witness the ritual from the shadows. Giants and other thralls formed a ring around the Mell clan, to witness this historic day.

Lin stood beside his sister, a festering, burning scar on his chest; his punishment for failure. Odieuse would have done far worse, had he not successfully activated the bottle. Now that she knew that it could trap dragons, the dark witch would produce more and more.

The loss of the Nightblades and the infiltrators she had in the human realms was a harsh blow; and Vainqueur declaring war on them turned him from a secondary problem to a major one, second only to the Kingdom of Gardemagne itself.

However, dear Lucie served her purpose. She brought them the blood and bones of dragons with class levels; the key to the fomor’s greatest victory.

If you cannot beat them, become them, Mell Odieuse thought, as her father presented his newest creation: a shield of dragon bones, coalesced blood, and solid darkness, whose power eclipsed anything the witch had ever seen. The wicked fairy could sense its vile energies saturate the air.

“Behold the greatest of artifacts, the perfect blend of fairywork and dragoncraft,” Mag Mell congratulated himself, festering in his pride. “The Soulcrest.”

Mell Odieuse raised an eyebrow in doubt but claimed the item as her own anyway. Her fingers touched its cold surface, letting its power activate. She felt something slip inside her flesh, a strange light fill her icy heart. An artificial, black soul born of dragon blood, taking root in her empty shell of a body. She felt whole, in a way she could not properly describe.

“Did it work?” Mag Mell asked his daughter.

Mayhaps. Mell Odieuse glanced at her mortal thralls in silence, before counting them.

“Eena, meena, mina…” the witch's eyes settled on a cyclop. “Mo…”

“I won?” the giant asked. “What did I win?”

Instead of answering with words, Mell Odieuse cast a spell and impaled him through his heart with a spike. The dead thrall collapsed on the trees, his sweet red blood spraying the roots; its kindred cowered in dread at the sight.

Congratulations!

A strange, blue screen appeared to reward her good work.

Thanks to your deadly, arbitrary approach to employee motivation, you earned a level in the infamous [Tyrant] class. You earned the [Tyranny] Class Perk!

+30 HP, +10SP, +1 STR, +1 AGI, +1 CHA, +1 LCK!

[Tyranny]: If you inflict damage, your victim has a ten percent chance of being afflicted by the [Terror] ailment.

“Ha… ha…” a bellowing sound came out of Mell Odieuse’s throat, beyond her control. It was a strange, new sound, yet a pleasant one, “Hahaha…”

“Sister, you are…” Lin took a step back in dread. “Laughing?”

Mell Odieuse’s cackle transformed into a cruel, cold laugh, chilling her slaves and guests into silence. The newfound power, and the death of the thrall, had filled her with a new feeling; an emotion she had seen the mortals experience, without ever understanding it before.

Joy.

...

She had to feel it again.

End of Volume II