Branch 2: Drabek & Hitomi
~I, am new.~
*pierce* *shlich*
“Golgana!” cough “Gol… ga…”
Twist my blade in the breather's chest. It chokes and drowns on its own blood. Dies just from too much life fluid being spilled. Tch. Such fragile things.
He, needed me. So He, made me. Stitched and fused remains, both physical and spiritual, together to make something new. Something better.
Throughout history there have been undead who were, superior. Among warriors, even paladins, those who fell so far that both the divine and infernal turned their backs on them? Found death, denied?
Became, "Death Knights."
Cursed existences. Banished by the gods until they could redeem themselves. Or were cleansed, killed, by a god's servant. Such creatures learned to despise the living. Wage an unholy war upon it. Seeking to bring low the world that refused them.
During the Wizard Wars, the Lich Kings found a "shortcut." Making it possible for any material undead to be elevated to Death Knight. Though the complexity and cost of the ritual kept numbers small? Their impact on the battlefield proved our worth.
But it still required a body. Still required the remnants of a soul.
He, looked past that. His hybrid hobby meant that only astral fragments might be left with corpses. For lesser undead like zombies and skeletons? Fragments are plenty. Not so for greater undead. So, what to do as His need for loyal and strong followers grew?
Simple.
Make souls.
He gathers the scattered astral bits and pieces then fuses them together. Uses his endless power to fashion new astral forms and attach them to new material constructs.
Creating unlife uncluttered by memories of life. Untainted by the recollection of breath and flesh. True undeath.
Life. Ha! A mistake. Antagonistic. Unguided. He, showed me. Through Him, I have seen two worlds. And both? Disgusting. So much, pain. So little, purpose.
The Lich Kings were right. The only Sorcerer Lords to grasp the truth. Death, is the natural state. Death, is eternal. Life? Temporary. Confused. Chaotic.
Only through embracing unlife. Can true peace be found. True order. Free from the mess of flesh.
Do not care what the living and once living claim of life. They distract Him. They confuse Him with their heaps of meat. Their memory of breathing.
Breathers are nothing more than material. Ore for the sword. Pulp for the paper.
He is not to blame for His state. This world is to blame. But I have faith. Even if it takes a thousand years. He will shed the shackles of life. Find truth in death. Its clarity. Become more than a lich. More than a king. More than a god.
*ching* *chok* *srash* *slich*
“Grah!” “Chulga!” “Waugh!”
The battle rages on. The foolish in this place resist death's deliverance. Their inevitable end. The lower He leads us? The stronger the enemy becomes.
Hundreds of skeletons and some orc breed clash in the lightless tunnels. By the will He gave me, I command. I direct His creations.
“[RISE]”
He is here. With Him there can be no defeat. With Him there is eternity. Salvation. Those who have fallen, rise again. Know the call of a higher purpose. A purer destiny.
These orcs are stronger than most. Changed by the dungeon. But the unliving are tougher. Tireless. Able to rejoin the fight over and over again. New and returned unliving fill the ranks. Adding weight to the crashing lines.
~~For the One!~~
Sigh. They are here too. Foolish shadows. Lost spirits. Somehow converting some of their astral being into a material state. Heretical hybrids. Cannot be trusted. But have their uses. Slipping through the orc lines. Breaking up their formations. Attacking their casters.
They will not be needed for long though. The true unlving. The material undead. He is getting better at making us. He has even made casters. A skeletal mage.
We do not weigh on His mind. Do not distract Him with flesh memories. As He grows so do we. We will sweep the stain of the living from this world.
Human, Demon, God, Dragon, whatever they call themselves. He will finish the Lich Kings’ crusade. And I, Drabek, His Death Lord, will be His sword and shield.
---D-Day+73, Daroine 12th---
“Ungh...”
Hot damp air. Wet sticky furs and blankets. Sweaty flushed bodies. Spread across the earth berm bed are my women. Filled. Exhausted. Happy. The last one, that's still conscious, is under me.
“Thank you master.” Oh no.
“Hitomi, don’t you start calling me that too.”
*chu* *mwah* Sloppy kisses are the best kisses.
“Barton-sama?”
“No.”
*mmph* *shlurp* *schlik*
“Uuuu… a-ahh… Jon-sama? Please, ah, sore, ah.”
“Sama? Are you a JK girl? Going to start calling me Ojisan?”
*schlik*
*huff* “Can I? Hii!”
*schlik*
“Don’t, you, dare.”
“Fufu… Oh! Ow!”
*schlop*
“Sorry. Healing spell? Mana?”
*pant* *pant*
“No. Ah. Use that again,” *huff* “and I’ll really go crazy.” *huff* “Won’t be able to walk tomorrow.”
After pulling out I shift to her side. My japanese high school girl is panting and flushed. But she’s still conscious. Tough girl. And those beautiful eyes are looking up at me from a gentle smiling face.
Such a kissable face.
Her eyes widen and she suddenly can’t look at me. Guilt?
“Thinking of him again?”
“...” Nod.
“You know, you can go back.” Her eyes snap to mine. “You are smart, pretty, and brave.” Her fading red face blushes up again. “But he’s your first love and I want you to be happy. Even if it's not with me.”
This isn’t the first time we’ve had this conversation and I’m sure it won’t be the last. She hasn’t gotten word back through her "shades" yet and it will probably be a few days still. So she doesn’t even know if her friends are alive or dead.
I suspect that her friends are fine and, at least, one of them wants her dead.
“Can you be any cornier? Is this a netorare? Boy lets his girl get taken by another man?”
“Isn’t that when the boy hasn’t fucked her yet? Or can’t make her cum hard enough? Don’t we already have those covered?”
Hitomi’s face somehow gets even redder. Her cheeks puff out like a squirrel and tongue sticks out at me.
“Baka.”
“Isn’t this already netorare? Me taking you from your first love? Or, gasp, are you stealing me from my wives? Oh no. Are you? Seducing me?”
Hero in disguise suddenly can’t look at me again. With my shadow sight I can still see her shy smile though. And her thumping my chest as I pull her close has no strength to it.
“...Baka. Big dummy head.”
At that moment Frankie’s arm reaches around me and she snuggles herself into my back. A couple others get hands, arms, or even feet, on me somewhere.
I don’t get why they feel the need to be touching me while they sleep.
“Let’s give you some time in Stormgarde. I can tell you missed school a lot.” Smirking. “Accept this as your master’s orders.”
“Oh? Is this where your toy screams she’s addicted to your cock? Flirts with the boyfriend on the phone while having sex with you? Swears to be your sex slave?”
“Well I don’t know about the phone. But weren’t you screaming that just a few minu-” *pinch* “Ow.”
Redder than a tomato.
“Baka. You read too much hentai.” Hesitates. “And... th-thank you.”
“For...?”
Her voice gets hushed. Almost mumbling.
“...Treating me, like a girl.”
Pull her in even closer. Squishing her against me and can feel her tears on my chest.
“Hitomi?”
“Yes?”
“Are you… married?”
She suddenly turns tense. Goes rigid. Shock?
“Wh-what?”
“I have three wives and three, uh, concubines? And that’s not counting my, uh, girlfriends? Mistresses? I've only been here for two months. You and him have been here and together for a lot longer so, well, I figu-”
“No.” Okay, that was abrupt. More tears? Crap. My pillow talk sucks.
Of course she may be lying. She’s the super spy, remember? Would be lying though if I didn't admit my heart started beating a little harder.
My god. Seriously. What is wrong with me? Used to have a hard time putting up with one woman for more than a couple of weeks. Now I’m collecting them like fucking pokemon.
“Do you?” Don’t say it me. “You know?” God dammit dude. “Want to-”
A small soft cute hand covers my mouth, silencing me. But her face stays buried in my chest.
“Not yet, please.” Her whole body seems to go soft and tries to melt into mine. “I? More time.” Her arms and legs have wrapped around me. “Just a little more time. Okkee?”
“Silly JK. Aren’t you my girl?” Nods into my non-existent chest hair. “Then be my girl.”
“Jon?”
“Yes?”
“I am not so sore anymore. So, if you want. We can. You know.”
I lift her chin so her trembling melting eyes are looking into mine. Time to pull out the big guns.
“As you wish.”
*chu* *mwah* *chu*
Chigusa, Hitomi (female, human, japanese)
Drabek (undead skeleton (male, human))