Malcolm Tent
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Wish upon the Stars chapter 812
🕑 Added 2025-01-30 23:50:03 +0000 UTC“So, what have you all been upto?” My mentor asked as he flopped back down onto his chair. “Heard you’ve had some decent fights. Even killed a C-ranker at early D-rank, that’s pretty wild. Punching up is doable, but most people only manage it from the peak of the previous realm. Your new minions were telling me all about.”
Dom bristled. “What do you mean minions? We’re not his minions.”
Sable rolled her eyes. “We’re totally his minions. But I’m cool with it. What kind of minions get paid with divine artifacts?”
“Hey, I never got paid with a divine artifact,” Abel protested. “I was one of your very first minions. Sure, I don’t listen to you or do what you say, and I treat you with middling to low levels of respect and don’t care that much about your opinion, but other than that I’ve been an awesome minion! Where’s my god weapon?’
Mel snickered, patting him on the shoulder. “I feel like it you repeat that little speech to yourself out loud you might stumble on the answer on your own.”
“I already arranged for you to train with the most powerful mortal Ascendant in the universe,” I told him mercilessly, enjoying the karmic retribution/ “You only get one life changing opportunity from me. You’re not my wife.”
He snorted. “Yeah, thanks for that. Being tortured by an insane vampire for a few months was at the top of my bucket list. How would I have gotten through life without this foundational experience.” His tone was dry, which was a good sign, so the rest of us weren’t shy about laughing at his pain.
“Oh, is that Adnab?” chirped an excitable voice. “Welcome back! Did you have a good time learning from daddy?” Bethy appeared from seemingly nowhere, beaming at Abel as she brushed off her dress.
Abel actually flinched. “Oh! Bethany. I mean Lady Lark, I mean…your highness. It’s nice to see you.”
Bethy’s winning smile deflated, replaced by a suspicious frown. “That’s weird. You don’t usually refer to me so formally. Or anyone. You’re not a formal person at all. Did someone tell you to do that? It was Sebastian wasn’t it? That old busybody. Don’t listen to him. He’s not the boss of anybody.”
“Lord Stein is a noble and generous person,” said Abel mechanically as he glanced around the courtyard, his eyes darting in paranoid little hops.
Bethy whirled, looking around in outrage. “Oh, he’s HERE isn’t he? Sebastian! You get out here right now! You’re not allowed to bully my friend! Only I’m allowed to do that.” She waited, expression thunderous. “Not coming out? Then how about I tell daddy who stole the spine from that Tomb Lord that he was planning to have made into a whip.”
There was a whisper of darkness and a tall man appeared in front of us, his expression apologetic. “Young mistress, there’s no reason to do that. I would never STEAL from the master. He simply forgot to let us know of his intentions for that piece of material. He completely forgot about it eventually, and there’s no reason to bring it up. How did you even hear about that incident?”
“My mom told me,” she beamed. “She said you’re a busybody and that I needed leverage to keep you from being mean to me.” She jerked a thumb at the man. “This is Sebastian Stein, my daddy’s personal butler. He’s like…super old, but he’s stuck at A-rank because his body is built out of dead person parts.”
The older man winced. “Young mistress, that is a GROSS oversimplification,” he protested.
“It’s your power,” she said with a shrug. “If you think it’s so gross why don’t you try something else?”
His shoulder slumped in despair. “Yes, young mistress. I’ll take that under advisement.” He turned to smile at us pleasantly. “Good evening, my name, as the young mistress so helpfully informed you, is Sebastian Stein, and I am the butler of the Lark family. The young mistress beseeched her father to send one of her siblings to aid you in your succession battle, but the master decided it would complicate matters politically to allow a high ranking vampire to participate.”
Bethy’s eyes widened. “Daddy sent YOU? But don’t you need to mind the house? He won’t be able to travel if you aren’t there.”
My grandfather cleared his throat. “Regardless of internal business, we’re honored to have you on our grandson’s side, Lord Stein.” He shot me an urging look, and I agreed, thanking him for his assistance.
Sebastian Stein looked…old. Which was saying something for an A-ranker. Bethy hadn’t been kidding about his age. Silver hair, close cropped beard, serene blue eyes, he was every inch the elegant butler. The only confirmation of her earlier accusations were a few nearly invisible seams running across his skin at the neck, ears, and on his hands. Seams that could easily be very well applied stitches.
My grandfather stepped up next to me, and I felt a subtle shift as he used some kind of stealth technique. “Sebastian Stein is the most powerful non Lark Ascendant under Morgan’s control. He must adore his youngest daughter to dispatch his steward. Stein is a Revenant, a necromantic construct of his own design, and he is one of the most powerful A-rankers I know of. His attendance will be a huge boon to your cause during the succession war.” When he saw me start to speak and then stop, he chuckled. “You can just respond out loud, I’ll hide your traces.”
No one, not even the super scary A-ranker, noticed him speaking to me, though I suppose demi-gods have to have their tricks. “Ok, so this guy is some sort of mad scientist undead? Like that old story about the doctor?”
“Similar,” he said with a grimace. “Because of his particular powerset, he’s stronger than most A-rankers, but he’s never been able to integrate a Saga. Regardless, for our purposes he’s basically ideal. With him involved, we’ve got all your A-rank slots filled.”
I was just as excited as he sounded, but sadly I was pulled back into the conversation by Bethy, who was lambasting the older man for “bullying her friend”. “Isn’t that right Shane?” she demanded triumphantly. It took me a second to replay the conversation in my head, but once I did I could only sigh and nod.
“Yes, Abel is an important member of my team. If he were to change because of your decrees it would make me…sad.” My tone was dry, but Bethy ignored that, whooping with joy.
“See! Daddy says you’re supposed to help Shane, and making him sad isn’t helping, so bullying Alice is ignoring daddy’s orders!” She sounded smug, and I had to choke down a laugh at her complete refusal to call Abel by his name, despite being actively defending him at the moment.”
Sebastian sighed. “Yes, young mistress, I shall endeavor to treat master Abel with more respect. As a nominal disciple of the master, I suppose he deserves at least that much. His Ragam Blood Body is…acceptable. At least for his level. Perhaps he might one day become a halfway competent Ascendant.”
Abel rolled his eyes, clearly less terrified the old man would smite him. “Acceptable," he says. My new form is fucking unstoppable. I based it on your staff art, Shane, creating my own Ragam form out of a fusion of my Path and martial art. I know your fire bullshit is overpowered, but there’s no way you can keep up with my Ragam Blood Body.”
I just smirked at him. With Sammael and my domains, I wasn’t afraid of anyone my own level…except Bethy. I was terrified of Bethy. But her powers were bullshit and didn’t count. Still, it was impressive he’d managed to create a form like mine. I’d never heard of anyone else doing anything similar. I wondered if he might eventually be able to make a pseudo Domain, though based on what my dad had told me it was vanishingly rare at my rank.
I was about to retort when I felt something change in the air around me. I tensed, ready for an attack, before realizing my grandparents, mom, and uncle were all here, and the chances of me detecting a threat that they couldn’t stop before it smashed me like a bug were pretty much zero.
Looking around, I tried to figure out what was going on, and my attention was immediately drawn to something odd. Namely, a reflection in a nearby glass pane. Except it wasn’t a reflection of me, or anyone else nearby. It was someone I knew though. Desria.
When she saw me, she slumped with relief. “Fist!” She shouted anxiously. “Thank the gods I got through. We’re in trouble. I used your scroll to reach you. After you left, we stuck around Rackham for a while, but we decided to try to put our scrolls to work elsewhere. We waited like you said, but somehow someone noticed us leaving. We were chased into a nearby dungeon by some priests of…someone, and they’re hunting us en masse. Hundreds of D-rankers are after us!”
“Des?” I asked in shock. “That’s…ok, give me a second,” That was a lot to process. “Where are you?” I checked my ring and sure enough, ten E-ranked chits had been deposited. Apparently messages to the actual wish granter weren’t too expensive. Good to know.
“The dungeon is called the Screeching Shoals,” she said urgently. “It’s not too far from Rackham. We were heading here already when they caught up to us. Fist…I think it might be a trap. We’re pretty sure they’re luring you in. Ray says not to come, but I couldn’t think of who else to call. I can’t watch them die.”
I shook my head. “It’s fine,” I told her firmly. “You did the right thing. I’m on my way, just lie low and stay safe.”
The connection faded, and I turned to look at my grandfather, my expression solemn. “Ok, this little good will tour is going to have to be put on hold.” I explained the situation. “I know that gathering my forces is important, but my friends-”
He waved me off. “No, I get that. We’ll take you. With all of us here, unless there’s an actual god waiting in the wings nothing can hurt you. But the actual dungeon…based on what she said, I think they’re right about it being a trap. A hundred D-rankers is a nasty force. Chances are good no one above that rank can enter. I know you’re strong, but those won’t be normal D-rankers.”
I was well aware. Raxus was most likely trying to get ahold of me to learn the location of the other divine artifacts. He’d send his strongest, and a hundred plus…that was a tall order, even for me. Quantity had a quality all its own.
Abel slung an arm over my shoulder with a laugh. “A hundred? Please. That’s child's play. I hope they miscounted, honestly, because I could use a workout. We got this.”
I stared at him for a minute, touched. Abel didn’t know any of my new friends, and had no reason to take a risk like that. Confidence or not he wasn’t stupid. That many presumably peak D-rankers were a danger even to him.
“What he said,” I laughed. “You all just take care problems outside. But I’m a little worried. What if one of the Vanished gods show up?” I explained my theory about Raxus.
“Don’t worry about that,” he said confidently. “Gods can’t engage directly so easily, not when we have our own to counter. I wouldn’t be surprised if Black Sorrow is waiting in ambush in case he tries.” That was something I hadn’t considered. My great grandmother had pretty much vanished after I passed her the stone, was this still part of the mission? Was I bait? It didn’t matter. My friends needed help, and I was going to help them. And I wasn’t doing it alone.
Comments
Void
Well I suppose we shall watch Shane and Abel compete to see who can stack the most bodies between them.
Anime Problem
Not the scythe he passed her the stone Callie got the scythe if I remember right
LadyLark
It makes sense Bethy would be called Lady Lark for obvious reasons but still a little uncomfortable. I wonder if Zagan can help the Butler with his problem.🧐
