Merciless, p.9
Merciless, page 9
“I will not be insulted by a whelp who hasn’t even seen his first century. I have no need to give you a name as you have no place in these lands.”
“You’re right, I should just pack up and leave. Heck, I am not even sure what it is that tells me that doing so would be a mistake, but I will tell you what. You simply open up your settlement to trade and for my kind to use for exploration, while getting used to not always getting your way and I won’t care to much about how you govern.”
“Impudent whelp, we are not ones to seek outsiders’ involvement in our lives, especially not the abominations that you have brought with you. Return our brethren to our care and leave our lands before your corpses are forever encased in ice.”
“It is really creepy how you can speak without any emotion, yet make it so clear that every word is said with hatred. Really, I am not here to cause you any issues, yet I feel obligated to do just that if you can’t see reality. The question is, what would actually open your kind’s eyes to the hopelessness of your situation? Let’s see, perhaps 20,000 tier-7s marching to conquer you would be a better display of what you are up against. Still, I am not interested in ruling you, yet I will if I must.”
“You speak as if numbers matter when the cold will determine the battle before such a force could reach us.”
“You wouldn’t even see them coming before they were nearly to your city. I am sure you are well aware of my wife’s mastery of ice. Honestly, were she as cold as all of you are, she would have used it to kill already. Perhaps then you would understand your position.”
“Empty threats. She is but one pest that can be overwhelmed with numbers.”
“Numbers that will not be in your favor should we attack. It wouldn’t even be a war to me as you only have one settlement and it would be over in a matter of days at most.”
“You still seek to use threats to sway me. You say that we don’t know what diplomacy is as you ignore it as well.”
“No, you refuse to engage and insist on demanding that we leave, so I am just telling you how that turns out. Now, tell me, what future do you wish to see? One where my kind rules this area as your kind is forced to bend to our will, or one where your kind retains control over your city and adapts to our presence in a mutually beneficial way?”
“I should just kill you where you stand.”
“Feel free to try, but if you do, I will not show you any mercy!”
As Xeal finished saying that in a tone that contained as much menace as he could muster, he shifted to his lightning form just in time to avoid the spike of ice that had formed where he had been standing a moment before. As he flash stepped behind the ice elf, he shoved his hand into him, only for it to be repelled by the ice elf’s skin. So, he created some distance and returned to his physical form while activating his quick equip skill and drawing both of his true heart seeking blades and charged in. While doing so, Xeal was constantly dodging as more ice sprung up at his feet as he struggled to maintain his footing on the ice. Still, Xeal reached the ice elf and managed to stab his blade into the tier-8’s thigh, before having to abandon the blade to dodge once again. With only one blade in his hand, Xeal acted like he was flustered and the ice elf smiled cruelly as he casually went to pull out Xeal’s sword. Only as he did so, it vanished and reappeared buried in his chest, as by touching its hilt the blade’s effect kicked in.
This instant kill felt cheap in some ways, but as Xeal retrieved his blade from the ice elf’s chest, he had to roll to the side as another spike of ice formed beneath him. As Xeal recovered, he looked at the dead man, only to find that he wasn’t so dead as he actually looked happy for a moment. Still, as he spoke, it was still in the same unfeeling way that he had been this whole time, that only managed to convey hatred.
“I must say it feels nice to actually feel pain. Unfortunately for you, my heart has long since lost any use to me. Had that happened to me 500 years ago, it would have been my end, but I have long since become one with the cold, like all things that exist here must do to continue their existence.”
“Your kind hasn’t ceased dying, you simply transition seamlessly into undeath,” spat Xeal. “Though, that actually makes things easier for me as I don’t need to feel like killing you could be a mistake. However, I would like to know one thing first. What did you have to offer the dark elves for them to aid in your transition.”
“You really are too perceptive, Xeal Bluefire. Becriri will definitely be pleased when we present you to her. Even now her forces are positioning themselves to defend against you should you attempt to invade our settlement a second time. Though we are still trying to understand how you navigated that path without any of us detecting you, as the living can never escape our notice.”
“Where is the fun of sharing all my secrets. But I can at least say that I look forward to seeing your settlement be put to great use by my guild, as you just doomed all of your kind.”
After Xeal said that, he shifted back to his lightning form and flash stepped back to Aalin as he spoke in his distorted voice.
“End this farce and prepare to move forward with a full invasion!”
Following that, he flash stepped into the sky as 100 tier-7 electrical spells hit him. The walls of the ice fort crumbled as Aalin used her abilities. Seeing the ice elf man turn to see his reinforcements buried in the rubble, Xeal unleashed all but the last bit of his MP, with the combined might of the spells he had absorbed. The tier-8 ice elf man turned just in time to see the blast hit him in the chest, as it used the hole from being pierced by Xeal’s blade to enter his body. A moment later he exploded as his body was partially vaporized and his Savior of Souls title activated and he got an extra class skill point. That brought his total to 121 points to use, but Xeal was saving all of those for after reaching tier-8 as he wanted to see just what was unlocked at that time.
As he landed after one last flash step as his MP ran out, Xeal returned to his physical form. At the same time, the ice elves started to emerge from the ruins of their fortress. Only none of them seemed to think fighting was a good idea as they ran. Aalin ordered a pursuit of them as Xeal drank an MP recovery potion that restored ten percent of his total pool. While that wasn’t enough for him to freely use his lightning form, it was enough to avoid having to give up on joining the pursuit. Rather, it was the dangers of the ice elementals that allowed the most ice elves to escape. Still, 500 more fell and 1,000 were captured. Though, all four of the remaining known tier-8s escaped and Xeal wondered exactly what the area beneath the settlement contained, as he was sure that it was directly connected to the dark elf palace now. It wouldn’t surprise Xeal if Queen Becriri Sianelvuc actually ruled over the ice elves as well with what he now knew.
Although Xeal suspected that it was more of an exchange between the two that saw both benefit from the relationship. The ice elves were aided in turning themselves into undead while maintaining their sense of self, but Xeal was unsure what the dark elves would gain. The area was too poor for it to produce enough food. However, as Xeal thought about how the tunnels would have been created in the first place, he figured that there was a gem or other mineral that was of value to the dark elves. If harvesting that mineral required the level of resistance to cold that the ice elves had, it would solve that issue. Still, Xeal knew that the only ones who would have the answers he was after had just escaped, as none but the tier-8s likely knew the full extent of things. While Xeal was thinking this, Kate approached him with a look of annoyance as she spoke to him.
“Want to tell me how everything went to absolute shit back there?”
“Cursing doesn’t feel right from you and there was never a deal to be made. The ice elves seem to have abandoned anything resembling humanity for eternity and the one I met with wasn’t even truly alive. Oh, and there is likely a direct path to the dark elf capital from the ice elf settlement.”
“When were you planning on sharing that? We need to secure it now and depending on the exact state of things, whatever we are about to find could have been one of the main rewards for the whole event.”
“Kate, we are going to need to bring in the other guilds for this one.”
“What!? Xeal, this could be a massive boost to our guild if we can secure it.”
“Call it a Christmas gift then, but while we can control the fort, we can’t press forward with this assault halfheartedly. I am willing to bet that a real nightmare is going to be unleashed when we get to that settlement and Aalin will have less to work with as it is on land.”
“At least we won’t have to fabricate a story surrounding the snow elves. Still, should we tell Takeshi that the main front has shifted to here?”
“No, he is still the main front. This is just going to create a distraction like nothing else and make his job a lot easier.”
“Fine, but was there really no way to have flipped the ice elves?”
“We have over 1,000 to figure that out on. Just make sure that everything is ready for us to move on their settlement within the week.”
“We could move tomorrow if you would keep it to just our guild.”
“I want every guild that we have even a slightly friendly relationship with to be in on this one, tier-7 and up only.”
“Fine. By the way, Josephine sent an update about how there is a lot of chatter going on right now. She isn’t sure about what is going to come, but it looks like New Year’s Eve is going to be bloody, as it sounds like multiple assassination attempts are planned.”
At Kate’s words, Xeal sighed helplessly before responding.
“At least they are leaving Christmas alone.”
“They know that is when we are likely to be on our highest guard and breaking the holiday ceasefire then would turn too many players against them. This is just a few days early and fewer players will be upset about having their family plans ruined.”
“Do we know if the targets are players, NPCs, or both?”
“Sounds like both and it sounds like it is a widespread event.”
“The aim is likely to be focused on creating real issues with the currently paused conflicts early.”
“That is obvious, but if it is successful, the truce for next year could become increasingly difficult to secure.”
“We will just have to make sure it is obvious that the dark elves were behind things. After all, they aren’t part of the treaty.”
“That will be obvious right away. The issue is that Abysses End will be able to point to them being excluded as the root cause and us fighting the ice elves right now isn’t going to look good.”
“Are you saying that we have to wait to invite the others to handle this event?”
“No, we just need to make sure that we aren’t creating openings when we do so. The fact that we can connect this with the dark elf event is enough to satisfy them. Heck, if we bill this as a possible direct path to the dark elves’ capital, we will likely have many who join in the hope of ending this event before the rest of the wars resume.”
“Got it. So we need to call it quits around day 137.”
Kate simply sighed as a sign that she had given up on the monopolization approach, while shifting to how best to capitalize on the increased presence of players as they returned to the ice fort. There she got to work on the impossible, as Xeal had forgotten that Christmas Eve was just over a week away in ED terms. So, Xeal spent the following days meeting with guilds and taking part in one dark elf repulsion effort after another. The worst of which was always when they sent waves of newly hatched spiders to the surface, in what could be seen as an act of terror as the spiders invaded one home after another and killed indiscriminately. Thankfully, the spiders were more focused on nesting and securing food than actually hunting the fleeing humans, so the deaths from these instances were always small. Still, it was a reminder to Xeal that poisons were truly deadly in ED, as even newly hatched spiders could bite a human of any level and threaten their life. Though, as the constitution of a human increased, it would take more doses to have any effect, but when a million spiders were born all at once, they could even overwhelm a player like Xeal. That was if he didn’t have his lightning form, which was why he was constantly being tapped to handle such issues as he could keep the damage to the buildings to a minimum as he acted as an exterminator.
Even so, the struggle between the dark elves and the surface was only intensifying and it was clear that certain countries were being targeted harder than others. Nowhere was this more obvious than in the Huáng empire, as the very tunnels that were beneath the palace were being accessed by the dark elf forces. From there they were attempting to break through the defensive perimeter that FAE had set up about a mile outside of the city. While things were currently holding steady, there was less than six months left of the ceasefire in the region and everything was pointing to all-out war breaking out once more. It even looked like the five other nations that shared the continent had allied themselves with the dark elves and were even planning on encouraging players to join the dark elves’ ranks in assaulting the Huáng empire the moment they could. As it was currently, the dark elves weren’t attacking any of them and if any nation was in danger of falling, it would be the Huáng empire. It was this situation that saw Xeal visiting Bīng and Emperor Huáng Jin on day 119, with both Kate and Lingxin.
The conversation started only after Lingxin had gotten some time with her niece, Xue. At four years old, Xue was already acting with a level of grace and poise that one would expect of a dignified lady. Her ice blue hair and eyes paired with her pale skin, made Xeal think of the snow elves as he watched her move with little emotion. Even when Lingxin had traded hugs with her, Xue had retained her grace and refrained from anything more than a slight smile. Though, the bit of candy that Xeal slipped her did at least earn a more genuine smile and a quick glance to make sure her parents didn’t see her take it, even though Xeal could tell they both knew she did. Still, she had settled in her mother’s lap as her father sat in the lower seat of the throne-like setup that Bīng’s prison had added since the prior war. At that, Xeal, Kate and Lingxin all took a seat before her in a casual manner as Bīng spoke.
“It seems that the other nations that were repulsed by this empire’s efforts and the assistance of your guild have not learned their lesson. To make matters worse, the very area we are in now may become a battlefield. It is for that reason that I am asking you to please shelter my daughter in Cielo city and once more come to the aid of my nation. Only this time I would ask that you allow us to conquer at least one of the aggressors that threaten my daughter and unborn child.”
Xeal took the revelation of Bīng’s pregnancy in stride as he responded to her worries.
“I will always welcome Xue to visit us in Hardt Burgh, but I will not isolate her in Cielo City as it is far less secure than my home when my family isn’t there. As for your unborn child, first congratulations and I will do all I can to ensure that none will reach this point, even if they conquer the rest of the tunnels that surround you. My hope is to avoid that war altogether, by ending the dark elf threat before the end of the ceasefire, as I am sure you are aware of through your connection with Aalin.”
“Yes, I would very much like to examine one of these ice elves for myself, both before and after they undergo that change to being undead if possible.”
“That would be ill advised until you are not with child,” replied Kate. “I am also worried about the timing of this pregnancy, as I assume that you would give birth just before the end of the ceasefire.”
“Just after actually, but yes, that was why I chose now to bear a second child,” replied Bīng. “Xue is to rule one day, but that is still not something the ministers know, as they are assuming that she is just like Lingxin was and to be her brother’s confidant. When the day comes for her to rule, it may cause a bloody civil war and-”
“It won’t,” interrupted Xeal. “Were you to try and install her now it might, but she will be coming to power around the same time that her cousins will be making their mark on the world. That is unless you plan to set her up for failure and not have her reach tier-7 before ascending to the throne.”
“My intent is to install her the moment I can, as her father has lost the ability to do anything outside war time.”
“Is that true, brother?” asked Lingxin, with a glare.
“Yes. Jingong currently has integrated itself with every official and many have returned to the practices that they enjoyed before the last war. The new ones that rose to prominence during battle are the worst offenders as they weren’t part of the last purge and are seen as heroes to many of the people. It is for that reason that my hope is to purge many of them during the next war, but it might be just too much to hope for. Regardless, they must be dealt with and if there isn’t a war to force them to act in the nation’s interest, they will simply ignore me.”
“Do I need to have a discussion with Jingong?” asked Xeal, sounding thoroughly annoyed. “I am not above evacuating Xue and letting this nation fall if they are fine letting the deplorable acts of the ministers continue. I take it that they are also actively participating in such behavior as well.”
“Some certainly are, but it is more that they happily accept the various requests the offending ministers put forward, at least from what we know for sure,” stated Bīng. “Were they to refuse and condemn them instead, the public pressure would be enough to force compliance. However, the palace currently has no room to risk them rebelling, as most of their members are not subject to the agreement that was signed when the guild came here from Muthia.”
“Oh, how I wish I had been in the picture when that was done. It would have-”
“Failed,” interrupted Xeal. “Kate, you were known by them and they would have not signed the deal that you wrote. As it was, what I offered them was likely the most they would agree to, to avoid starting over from scratch. Still, if they need a reminder of what the spirit of the deal is, that shouldn’t be hard to arrange as their leadership is still mainly the same from when the deal was made.”
