The Conciege
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August Intruder- Chapter 86- My Name
🕑 Added 2024-10-10 06:53:01 +0000 UTC“But murder wrong. Melmarc tell Veebee this. Melmarc not murder.”
The words shook Melmarc to silence. It was true, he had technically told the creature that Murder was wrong. And even if the man had tried to kill his mother, it didn’t make murder any better.
I don’t care, Melmarc thought.
Dissonant.
Melmarc groaned, running a hand down his face. At this point he was beginning to wonder if there was really nothing he could do to turn it off. He didn’t need it contradicting him every time he tried to lie to himself.
Veebee waited patiently as Melmarc gathered his thoughts and his composure. He still wanted the man dead but there was nothing he could do about it right now. Not in this moment.
A thought came to him as he gathered himself and he allowed it to distract him. When he’d met Veebee, the creature had felt powerful and beyond reproach. Even now, from how a Delver like Saxi had reacted to it, it seemed very powerful.
Yet, it had said that on its own it could not cross worlds. Not the way it had taken him to the other world. It had said that it needed him to perform the feet. The question was why.
He looked up at it. “Why can’t you go to other worlds on your own?”
“Because Veebee Void beast. Veebee not have existence points to use. Veebee only powerful inside void between worlds.”
Melmarc’s brows furrowed for a moment. Veebee did not have existence points, which meant that existence points were needed to move through worlds.
“Can I move through worlds with my existence points?” he asked.
Maybe he could find his way back if he learnt how to do it. He could finish what Veebee had not allowed him to start.
Veebee’s reply, however, killed that line of thought.
“[August Intruder] not void beast,” it said. “Void beast and other void people use power to move.”
“But you don’t have Existence points,” he pointed out. “Or has yours finished?”
Veebee shook its head. “Void beast and void people just not have existence points.”
“But you know how to use them to cross worlds.” It wasn’t making much sense. It sounded like someone telling you they knew how to run but were born without legs.
It could sound like it made sense, but if you really thought about it, it was difficult to believe. It was like knowing how to fly with wings even though you don’t have wings.
“Then how do you know how to travel?”
Veebee looked around, confused. It looked as if it was looking for a way to dumb down an already dumbed down concept to him.
After a while it swiped a casual hand at the inky blue that surrounded them and a lump of the cloud seemed to come away with it.
Veebee held it up for Melmarc to see. “Like this?”
So it just can?
“So you just can?” he asked.
Veebee paused to give it a thought. After a moment that seemed like it was going to tell him no, it settled for a reluctant shrug.
“Yes,” it said.
Melmarc gave it a look. “The answer is not yes, you just can’t find an easier way to explain it for me to understand.”
Veebee gave it a thought once more, this time the pause was shorter. Then it smiled. “Yes.”
Melmarc sighed. He definitely did not like feeling dumb.
“Alright,” he said. “So you used me to get there.”
“Veebee use existence points to get there.”
Melmarc’s jaw dropped. “You used my existence points to get there.”
Veebee nodded.
Melmarc hurried to pull up his points. His lips pressed into a thin line of dismay at what he saw.
[Remaining EP 6988]
He’d had plans for those points. Well, not actual plans but plans in the making. Now those plans had been affected.
“You should’ve told me,” he complained.
He wasn’t really angry at Veebee, just annoyed at the loss without his knowledge. He was sure the thing hadn’t really given it much thought.
Besides, it was the only way it could answer my—
Melmarc paused. The only excuse it could have for taking him to the other world besides trying to get him to eat someone was to keep the others from being a part of the conversation regarding what an [August Intruder] was.
He turned around and found that they were the only ones present. Which meant that it could’ve just taken them to a different space. So, it hadn’t had to…
“Veebee,” he said, hoping his current speculation was wrong.
“Yes.”
“Are you still using my existence points?”
Veebee nodded. “It is why we are here.”
As if with all intents of making fun of him, Melmarc’s interface popped up once more.
[Remaining EP 6969]
“Veebee, stop using my [EP],” he groaned.
Veebee looked confused. “You can always get more [EP].”
Melmarc wasn’t sure how Veebee thought the world worked but he couldn’t just go around hopping into portals. It wasn’t like they showed up conveniently for him to deal with.
“I can’t always get more [EP],” he explained. “There aren’t so many portals in my world, and I can’t just go hopping into them. In my world there are rules. Besides, easy portals will be safer for me, but I doubt they’ll give me a lot of [EP].”
Veebee cocked its head to the side. “Melmarc not need portal to get [EP]. [August Intruder] not need permission to enter portal.”
It said the words like it was merely stating a matter of fact.
But it was wrong, Melmarc certainly needed permission to enter portals… Unless…
If he was always alerted of portals near him, that meant that he would always be the first person to know of the existence and location of a portal. He could just find it and go into…
Calm down. You’re getting ahead of yourself.
This encounter with a portal had been a very truly rare occasion. And he wasn’t talking about how easily he’d found it. He was talking about how he’d found it and survived it.
Nobody solo’d a portal. It wasn’t done. In fact, there were stories of people entering a portal alone and never coming back. At least not alive.
He had been lucky with this portal, and that was all there was to it. He wasn’t going to go around jumping into portals. It was a sure way to die.
And what if he ran into a different void beast and it just decided to give him an ‘easy’ personal quest and have him kill another Demi-god?
No. Melmarc shook his head.
Even if he could theoretically be the first into portals around him, and could get away without getting into the other array of troubles that could come with an unsanctioned portal entry, he wasn’t going to do it.
He would die.
“I can’t just go around closing portals, Veebee,” he told the creature. “I’ll die.”
“Why?” Veebee asked. “You don’t trust your Oaths? If they refuse to help, you can always convince them with EP.”
Melmarc paused. “Wait. Oaths can use [EP]?”
Veebee nodded. “Every being capable of using mana can use [EP].”
Then why hasn’t anyone said anything about it?
Was [EP] one of those secrets those in power kept away from the rest of the world like they always did in Delano’s conspiracy theories?
“Is that why Oaths are strong?” Melmarc asked.
Veebee shook its head. “Your Oath of Madness is weak. Very weak Oath of Madness.”
“Is it because my dad has not been using his [EP]?”
What else could his dad possibly be using them for if not to make himself stronger?
“Oath of Madness not have [EP] to use,” Veebee said. “So Oath of Madness weak.”
Melmarc’s expression changed, it reduced to placidity as whatever attention he was giving it went to his thoughts. Veebee had just said that everything capable of using mana could use [EP], yet his father was week.
With how often his parents had always been away from home for work, it would’ve been safe to assume that they would’ve gathered a handful of the stuff.
If that was not the case, then a few things came to mind. For one, Veebee was not the least bit bothered or surprised at the fact that his father was weak for his Oath. So it was not surprised that his father was not growing the way Melmarc knew he could grow with the [EP].
The Oaths could get stronger with [EP] but his father did not have [EP]. Melmarc’s mind was already coming to a possible answer as to the reason for that. After all, Veebee had asked him to ask for their assistance using [EP].
“Veebee,” he started in an attempt to confirm what he was thinking. “Do any of the people I came back with have [EP]?”
“No,” it answered. “And they should not.”
Melmarc knew the reason. “They can use [EP],” he said slowly. “But they can’t get [EP].”
Veebee nodded.
Melmarc almost laughed.
He had wished all his life for the power to become strong. Then he’d gotten it in the form of [EP] amongst other things.
Now Veebee was telling him that he could also become politically strong? He didn’t even need to think to find out if there was any Gifted alive that would turn down the chance to get stronger through this method.
With just the amount of [EP] he had, he could increase his stats to a point that people could only achieve if they gained a cumulative total of fifty percent mastery in their skills.
I’ll start with me, Melmarc was already thinking. Then dad, then mom, then Ark… Then Eroms. Then… wait…
His mind reeled him back in. Somehow the entire thing sounded too good to be true.
“What’s the catch?” he blurted out.
“Catch?” Veebee asked. It looked around, frowned. “Did Veebee throw something?”
It scratched the back of its head.
Melmarc sighed. “Not that. I mean, what’s the downside to using [EP]?”
Veebee shook its head. “No downside.”
At this point, the creature was taking any chance it could to use actions along with its words. It was like a child that had just learned something new and wanted to tire it out.
Melmarc liked to think of himself as a realist not a pessimist, so whenever something seemed too good to be true, then there was a very high chance that it was too good to be true.
“You’re saying that there are no downsides?” he asked. He was giving Veebee a look, in case he could scare it into telling him the truth. He wasn’t sure if such a tactic would work. He’d mostly seen it used on children by parents.
It had also worked a few times on the creature, so it was worth a shot.
“No downside,” Veebee answered.
Maybe I’m not asking the question correctly.
Veebee had said he should ask the Oaths for help, not any other Gifted. At the time he’d assumed that it probably had something to do with the relationship between Oaths and the [August Intruder] designation.
“So nothing bad will happen if an Oath uses it too much?” he asked.
“Oath will grow stronger than [August Intruder],” Veebee answered. “I will not advise.”
Joke’s on you, Melmarc chuckled. All the Oaths in his world were most likely already stronger than him. But he got the picture.
“What happens if I use it on an F-rank?” he asked. “What if I give it—them—enough to push them to the next rank.”
Veebee paused. “Existence evolution? Forced Existence evolution?” It gave it a thought then shrugged. “It probably die. You should try.” It paused again. “No. It definitely die. But you should try. You learn something new… probably.”
Melmarc frowned. So that’s what it’s called. Existence evolution.
From what he’d learned about Veebee so far, it was easy to piece together what that meant. In simpler terms, it was like a species evolution. The Gifted would be going from a rank F human to a rank E human.
“Why will they die, though?” the moment the words left his mouth, Melmarc remembered that their current state was eating into his [EP] and almost grimaced.
“Because too strong,” Veebee answered. “Not all existence capable of evolving. Some existence reach one point and stop. You force it to evolve and body destroy.”
Born with the potential for greatness but limited by the body, Melmarc thought.
“What of an S-rank?” he asked. “The same thing?”
“Not the same. S-rank easier to evolve than F-rank. F-rank not strong, need time to grow to evolve. S-rank strong. Oath and SS-rank strongest.”
I was an Oath, Caldath’s words floated in Melmarc’s head. I was Madness.
Worried, he asked, “What happens if I give an Oath enough to evolve?”
“Oath become stronger Oath.”
“What if it evolves beyond an Oath?”
“Oath become Sapient Oath.”
“And what if it evolves beyond a Sapient Oath?”
“Not happen before?”
“What if it happens?”
“Veebee not think possible.” It looked around, at the space around them.
Its expression changed. Something else was different about it, though.
Melmarc’s brows furrowed. “Veebee, are you glowing?”
Veebee paused to look down at itself. It smiled. “Veebee glowing.”
“Should I be concerned?”
“No. Veebee glowing good thing.” It pointed at itself. “Means Veebee plan work.”
“What plan?”
“Plan Veebee come up with because you not eat threat.”
“Oh.” Melmarc wasn’t sure what else to say to that. “So what does that mean for me… and you?”
“It mean Veebee can help [August Intruder] get stronger and develop immunity.” It sounded genuinely excited, and not the kind that came from it trying to imitate human emotions and expression. “For Veebee, it mean that bond to you stronger. Veebee safe.”
“Veebee safe?” Melmarc gave it a look. “Where you in trouble, Veebee? Can I help?”
“Veebee not in trouble. Veebee always safe. Veebee just safer.”
You’re running out of [EP], Melmarc scolded himself. Get the answers you need and get out.
“Can I continue asking questions if Veebee takes me back?” he asked.
“Veebee not allowed to answer if Veebee go back,” it said simply.
Melmarc almost cussed, surprising himself. It wasn’t that he never cussed, it was just that he always knew when he was going to cuss. Unlike Ark, it was not an involuntary action.
“So I can give anybody, [EP] and they will get stronger,” he said, talking fast now. “It’s just that it might kill some of them.”
Veebee nodded.
That was good to know. It didn’t give him something detailed, but he could work with it. In summary, be careful with who you give [EP] to.
“And no matter how much I give an Oath nothing will go wrong?”
Veebee was back to looking around again as it glowed a soft blue. “Nothing go wrong. Oaths and Sapient beings can take all [EP].”
Melmarc was slightly worried now that Veebee was looking around. It had said something about being safe now. But he couldn’t help but wonder if it was looking around in case something else was watching them or listening in.
“What of…” Melmarc hesitated with his next question considering what he’d just done inside the portal. He had a feeling that the question would be frowned upon but it was important for him to know. “What of becoming a Demi-go—”
“NO!”
It was a single word. Strong and powerful. Worse, Veebee had opened its mouth to utter it. It also looked very feral. Whatever disturbance the idea had given it had been enough to draw it away from whatever it was looking out for.
Melmarc raised his hands in surrender and took a step back. “No,” he agreed. “I won’t ask.”
Those were two emotions he had seen from Veebee that did not look like imitations. Anger and excitement.
He wondered what Demi-gods did to get a bad rep. Is it Demi-gods it hates or people trying to become Demi-gods?
“So only the Oaths can really help me.” Melmarc still wasn’t completely sure of what it meant.
“Others can help,” Veebee said. “But… King need army but also general to lead army? Also, [August Intruder] need Oaths.”
“Why?” Melmarc could understand needing his parents, but why the other Oaths.
How was he even supposed to find them? He was just now learning what Oaths truly were. Before getting into the portal he’d always thought that Oaths were just government positions or something like that since his parents answered them.
“Because Oaths are [August Intruder].”
“Wait… what?” Melmarc stared at it. “There are more [August Intruder]s?”
Veebee stared ahead in thought. With his soft glow he looked like cupid from the stories, without the wings and the cuteness and the wings and the…
I guess it just looks like a glowing chibi?
“Not correct sentence,” Veebee said after a while. “Oaths are a part of [August Intruder]?”
“Veebee.”
“Yes?”
“Are you asking or telling?” Melmarc’s mind was also trying to help Veebee explain it to him. “How are Oaths a part of me?”
“[August Intruder] is the peak form of their species,” it said. “And Oaths are embodiments of concepts.”
“And the peak form of the species is supposed to embody at least one of the concepts?” Melmarc remembered what Naymond had said about the possibility of Oaths passing down their traits.
And even though he asked what he asked, in his mind he knew that the question was not the question he wanted to ask.
“One of the concepts?” Veebee looked at him. “The [August Intruder] will embody all of the concepts.”
“Do I have to?”
“You don’t have to.”
Melmarc let out a sigh of relief.
“You will,” Veebee finished. “You don’t have choice. You will embody it. You will master it.”
“That’s why I will need the Oaths,” Melmarc realized.
“Each one embodies one concept. Learning from them will make mastery easy. You learn and they benefit.”
That was not a good thing to hear. Melmarc was already having a hard time with whatever was happening to him. Since he’d gained [Optimum Existence].
“How many concepts are there?” he tried, hoping.
“Different numbers for different species.” Veebee shrugged. “Humans have many. Too many. And contradicting. Is why they get along with demons more.”
“Is that why you suggested that I make friends with a [Demon King]?”
Veebee nodded. “Demons and humans love and hate each other. They make good friends.”
Melmarc almost laughed. You don’t know the half of it.
Whatever humor he had died as he thought about the Oaths, the concepts. He only knew of two, but Naymond had made it sound like there were a lot more. That was one thing he needed to confirm; how many concepts he had running around in his brain.
At this point, he was going to have put the progress increase of [Optimum Existence] on hold until he really knew what he was getting involved in.
Veebee’s frowned suddenly. Its attention snapped around them and Melmarc could feel its worry.
Then its scow turned into a frown.
“We leave,” it said abruptly. “Now.”
Melmarc wanted to say something, but Veebee was not done talking.
“Being an [August Intruder] comes with powerful benefits,” it said, its ‘cute’ tone vanishing. “But it comes with a lot of greater risks. You cannot tell anyone what you have learnt. If you do, then they bear the same risks that you bear but without the benefits.”
Melmarc opened his mouth to say something now, anything, only to find himself suddenly standing among everybody he’d left in the portal tunnel.
“Veebee?”
Veebee was looking around.
“Mel.” Deoti rushed forward and pulled him by the arm. “What happened? Where did you go?”
“I’m fine, aunt Deoti,” Mel answered absently.
His attention, however, was focused more on Veebee. The creature looked worried. If the others were worried by Veebee’s presence, then Melmarc could only imagine what could make Veebee worried.
“Veebee?” Melmarc tried again.
His father, however, had other plans. “Mel, we have to go. The portal world has collapsed. This pathway will soon.”
Melmarc looked around and his father was right. He couldn’t see anything, but he could feel it. Somehow the place wasn’t stable. It continued to give him that feeling, the one that felt like something was off, like he was wearing his shirt wrong. But it was worse, horrible.
Like an itch he needed to scratch but didn’t know where it was.
“Portal open,” Veebee said, expression turning serious. “Oath of Madness, get bloodline to safety.”
Melmarc’s father didn’t have to be told twice. He was already walking towards the exit, Melmarc’s arm in his hand.
Melmarc followed reluctantly while the others were already walking ahead, more than ready to leave the space.
Nelson passed Melmarc and he was once again reminded of what had happened within the portal. Claire’s lifeless face met his gaze. Her eyes were closed, and she looked at peace.
He was reminded of the fact that she was dead.
A casualty of war.
Melmarc frowned at the thought. Not now.
There were more important things that he had to handle right now.
“Veebee, answer me.”
His father had pulled him to the exit portal now. Even standing in front of it, it was like standing in front of a portal on the other side. They couldn’t see what was on the other side of it.
The team that had been sent to rescue him had gone first. His father’s team was already going through.
Veebee was still looking around.
“Veebee!”
Veebee turned to him and hovered directly in front of him. Then it placed both hands on Melmarc’s face.
Melmarc felt an odd chill trickle into him from where it touched him. Veebee remained there, holding on to his face, allowing the chill trickle into him.
“What is happening, Veebee?” Melmarc asked, now truly worried.
A line spread as a mouth, it was smiling. “You will be given an offer at some point in time. The opportunity for an aid. It will cost you [EP]. It will be a lot.”
“I’ll save,” Melmarc said.
Veebee shook its head. “You won’t. You will grow. Your [EP] is for you to grow. Grow. Get me when you have what you need to get me. When you’re strong enough.”
It was being too serious.
“Veebee, what’s happening?” he asked.
Veebee shrugged. “A few things. But do not concern yourself with it.”
Melmarc’s father was already through the portal and his hold on Melmarc’s arm was pulling him through.
Melmarc was already halfway through the portal when another thought came to him. It filled him with panic as he realized that he would soon be gone and had no idea when next he would get to meet Veebee.
“I don’t remember your name!” he called out as the portal started sucking him in. “I don’t remember it.”
Veebee smiled sadly. “My name Veebee.”
Then Melmarc was gone.
…
The moment the boy disappeared, sucked through the portal and back to his world, Veebee’s demeanor changed.
“And now they come,” it muttered to itself.
It couldn’t show weakness. Not here, not now. And that would be easy, because it wasn’t weak, not anymore.
The nature of the portal shattered around it, then each fragment peeled away like the skin of living things.
Veebee was left in darkness.
As it so often was whenever there was no portal to govern or control or guide.
The darkness warped around itself in one corner and Veebee turned to face it. In this void there was no sense of direction. No up or down. No left or right.
Still, the darkness warped from a position that would be considered over him if there was direction.
Then a creature stood there. It was a [Nenit] with its chubby stomach, short legs and long arms. It had a face that resembled a human child, the ones that had wings and arrows in their memories.
“Void-beast designation 12849,” it said casually. “You have committed crimes, abused your powers, and done something completely against the laws of existence. You are to be rearranged. And I am here to execute that punishment.”
Veebee stood where it was, unbothered. It gave no answer.
“You have been charged with aiding in the self-evolution of a sapient being, acting in your self-interest,” the [Nenit] continued. “You have been charged with manipulating events of a quest. You have been charged with showing favoritism towards the beings that serve the greater cause of existence. You have been charged with orchestrating the production of your own sustenance. You have been charged with terminating a life that showed you no true disrespect. How do you plead?”
Veebee straightened up. “Guilty.”
The [Nenit] frowned. It was a disgusting thing to look at. A caricature of human expressions in Veebee’s opinion.
“By laws of existence, you are to be rearranged. A punishment that I will now carry out.”
Veebee shook its head. “You are not allowed.”
The creature paused. “What?”
“I have made contact with a sapient being,” it said. “And not just a sapient being, an [August Intruder]. By laws of the void, I am to be reposed not rearranged. We would not want a repeat of the [August Intruder] of Relimat.”
There was no creature of the void that did not know of the [August Intruder] of Relimat. She had met a void-beast once and developed a kinship the other void-beasts had not been aware of.
Then they had rearranged the void-beast. Years later, she had grown powerful and gotten an aid. And not just powerful, but truly powerful.
When she’d found out what had happened to the void-beast, she had wreaked havoc that had spanned millennia and cut vastly across existence. Eventually, it had taken two [Demon Kings] three [Demi-gods] and one [Creator] to stop her.
Sadly, existence was still dealing with the repercussions of the damage she had caused.
Ever since, the law of the void had rearranged itself. Void beasts that had made contact with Sapient beings such as an [August Intruder] until it had an aid and had been properly updated on the crimes of the void-beast.
The [Nenit] knew this. Veebee knew this.
The [Nenit’s] frown became a scowl. “You abuse the law.”
Veebee shrugged. “I abused my delegated power. What is the law in the face of that?”
“Void-beast designation 12849 You are reposed.”
The [Nenit’s] voice rippled through the darkness. Veebee felt it take purchase of him as the [Nenit] used its delegated position over it.
The words tried to bind it for only a moment before it slipped from it, failing.
The [Nenit] frowned. “What did you…”
Its voice trailed off as its gaze went to the emptiness just above Veebee’s head and Veebee knew what it saw.
It didn’t matter what you were or what authority you possessed over a void-beast, to repose or rearrange it, you needed something that wasn’t the easiest to get unless you possessed authority over it.
The [Nenit] definitely possessed the required authority over it. But it had not had its name. Not its true name. So it had called upon its power to get it. Now the name stared at it and it stared back.
“Unfortunate,” the creature said. “And now, you will have to declare it.”
Veebee knew. It had declared it once before. It didn’t mind declaring it again. In fact, it was happy to.
“My name Veebee.”
The darkness rippled around it as it declared itself to the void.
The [Nenit] shook its head solemnly. “It has been too long since a Void-beast has done what you’ve done before gaining a master. You know why that is.”
“Yes.”
“And what happens when the Sapient being does not choose you?”
“Then Veebee will have no master.”
To Veebee’s surprise the [Nenit] sighed.
“Veebee,” it said. “You are reposed.”
The darkness curled around Veebee.
In a moment, Veebee was gone.
Veebee had only one regret as it was banished into nothingness; it hadn’t gotten to eat the Delver’s corpse Melmarc had given it.
…
The moment Melmarc stepped back into the world the first thing he noticed was how thin the air was. Maybe thin wasn’t the word he was looking for, but it definitely felt like it. It was as if the mana was clean but not enough, whereas the mana in the portal had been enough but not clean at all. While the mana in the other world hadn’t been really noticeable enough to judge.
The second thing he felt was the annoying sensation of his shirt worn wrongly. At this point it was becoming an annoying thing. He’d been feeling it since leaving the ruins and nothing he’d done had solved the problem.
While everybody gathered their thoughts, Saxi moved immediately.
There were four people in the room, and Melmarc recognized them. Detective Alfa who looked exhausted, the Blight—which was amazing since Melmarc had never seen the man in person before—another detective he remembered was called Nan, and a police officer in uniform.
The Blight got up from sitting on the ground next to Alfa and took a stance that was half offensive and half defensive, as if he was unsure of what he wanted to do.
Saxi ignored everybody and made his way to the exit, there, he poked his head out.
“Nobody,” he said, pulling his head back in.
Deoti nodded, then turned to Naymond. “You stay here, clear up the mess.”
Naymond stepped comfortably behind Melmarc. Covered by Melmarc’s size, he poked his head out and said, “You ain’t the boss of me.”
Melmarc looked down at him and the man gave him a sheepish smile.
Melmarc’s face squeezed into a frown. The discomfort he felt was stronger. Heavier. At this point it was as if his shirt was now trying to rip at his skin if he didn’t adjust it.
It felt as if the shirt was rejecting him, as if it would take itself off if he didn’t adjust it. So he did.
He reached for his collar and pulled it into place while Alfa’s eyes focused squarely on him and her mouth opened as if she had something to say.
Before she could say whatever it was, something happened.
The feeling Melmarc was suffering disappeared. It righted itself as if adjusting his shirt had done something. The mana in the air, as thin as it was, started getting denser. It gathered to him, pulled towards him as if he was some kind of vacuum sucking them in.
But it did not fill him. It simply settled around him.
Then his interface appeared.
[August Intruder Melmarc Jay Lockwood has established dominance over his world]
…
[You are the August Intruder of this world]
[This world has been placed under your protection.]
…
[Existence has been made aware of your world]
[Existence acknowledges you]
[Your world acknowledges you]
…
[Welcome August Intruder]
“What the hell is—”
Melmarc’s words were cut off by his father’s hand on his shoulder.
“Fendor,” his father said in a hurry. “Get us out of here. Now!”
Fendor was already moving.
The portal behind them winked out of existence in a way that was very unbecoming of portals and another opened behind them like a black hole.
Naymond stepped away from them. “I’ll stay behind and settle things,” he said then met Melmarc’s gaze. “Please, do not forget my request.”
Another notification popped up in front of Melmarc.
[Your Oaths await you]
He didn’t have the time to read it before something ripped him away from the world. One moment he was standing in a room with Alfa looking at him as if she wanted to hug him, the next moment he was standing inside a warehouse surrounded by his father and his father’s teammates.
His father placed both hands on his shoulders and looked him in the eye.
“Mel,” he said, voice confused. “What did you just do?”
…
Gondo had been a Delver for more than fifteen years. At S-rank, he had his own team and faced off against greater foes within the portal and back at home.
He served his country, not because he was patriotic but because it was the ability of the strong to help whenever they could. So he helped because he could.
“We’re ready, Gondo.”
He turned his head to the woman that had spoken. A part of his team, she was an A-rank [Scout].
They stood in a room as one of their teammates, worked carefully to extract an armor from a statue. By Gondo’s estimate, the armor would be B-rank since they were in an A-rank portal.
Once they were done with this, they would confirm the location of the main monster that ruled the portal and take it out before returning home.
As for him, he walked up to the spear in the stone. That was his prize to claim. If he was feeling cocky, maybe he would face whatever monster waited for them with it.
He reached for it when his interface flashed in front of him.
“Are you seeing this, Boss?” one of his teammates said from the corner. “What the hell is going on?”
Gondo was seeing it, and he had no idea what it meant.
[Please note that your world is evolving.]
[All active injuries will be healed.]
[Access to your world will be sealed off in four seconds. Please make your way to the exit portal.]
Even before he was done reading it, a portal appeared at the center of the room. It was wider than any portal Gondo had ever seen in his years as a Delver. And it was pulsing.
Four seconds, Gondo thought. That was enough time.
He grabbed the spear and turned to leave only for the spear not to move. What the hell?
He pulled harder, his teammates already flooding to the portal without waiting for his command, not that he blamed them. The last thing you would want was to be stuck inside a portal.
Annoyed, he pulled once more at the spear only for something to pull him from the back. He turned, ready to have words with his teammate only to realize that no one was there.
Wait, his mind panicked as he realized what was happening.
The portal was pulling him into it.
WAIT!
He reached a hand out to the spear but didn’t make it. He was ripped from the room and into the portal. Before he knew it, he was back at the entrance where the portal to this place had opened.
He stood there with the rest of his team with no portal.
Fuck!
…
“Cillian, please.”
Cillian never understood why people begged when they were standing face to face with death. He never understood why people met their end and still refused to accept it.
He had the man’s face in his hand and watched as the man slowly withered in his hold, dying as all those deserving of death should.
After a short while, the man passed.
Cillian released him and let his body fall to the ground.
He missed just being a Gifted. Before he’d become an Oath, he’d used this very skill to climb up the ranks at an unreasonable speed.
But now that he was an Oath, all the skill gave him was a boost in mana for a period of time. He couldn’t even make the mana his own.
He shook his head as he walked up to the only chair present in the scattered room and sat down.
How he missed finding opponents that were his equal. The terrified look on their faces when he finally took purchase on them and started draining their life force. It was always an amazing thing to watch.
Now, only the other Oaths were his equal. And he wasn’t stupid enough to go against any of them without risking too much.
If he wanted to hunt down an Oath, he needed to plan. But those fools were too secretive—too meticulous.
Then again, he’d heard that the Oath of War was no longer an Oath. He’d been searching for them for years but had been unable to find any clue that would lead to them.
Life was becoming boring. At this rate he would have to just go after an Oath using numbers. And the nearest one to him was the Oath of Fear. The woman kept on doing everything in her power to help the country from behind the scenes, not even knowing that he lurked just around the corner observing her every move.
“Maybe it’s time to cause a little chaos,” he mused. “Maybe it’s time to—”
[Your August Intruder has arrived]
…
[Please note that your world is evolving.]
[All active injuries will be healed.]
[Access to your world will be sealed off in four seconds. Please make your way to the exit portal.]
…
[Oath of Greed prepare to meet your August Intruder]
The notification got his attention.
Evolving? He mused.
But the world’s evolution was unimportant. What interested Cillian more was the last part of the notification.
The long awaited [August Intruder] was here.
A sly smile touched his lips, and he got up from the chair.
Looking down at his hand, he flexed his grip, opened and closed it. His smile widened and he walked out of the room. His interface had told him to prepare to meet his [August Intruder].
He wondered if it would also guide him to where the person was.
A single thought crossed his mind as he walked out of the building.
If this [August Intruder] is so important, just how much power can I get if I drain them?
Comments
Dual.
Tftc
The Conciege
Corrected. Thank you. The correct one is [Nenit]
Simon Hoerder
Thanks for the chapter. But you're switching from `[Nenit]` to `[Netid]` in the dialog between Veebee and the other being.
