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Side Story 32: Vifi’Yok and Hee’Rlak. [Release Version]
🕑 Added 2022-04-07 19:19:51 +0000 UTC<System Update: Triple Job System has been implemented into the System and all profiles. To read more on the details, please continue reading. Once you are finished, please visit your nearest [Crystal of the Divine System]>
“Huek, huek, h-huek! Uguek uguhh…”
“Master! Master! Master, are you awake?!”
A young maiden’s tears. They flowed down her face, drenching her bed and pillows. The sound of her soft weeping echoed inside her room, filling it with the sadness she felt not only in her heart but also her mind. What could have caused this?
Was it heartbreak from unrequited love? Or was it the failure of her family and business? How about the demise of a loved one? There were many reasons for young adolescents to cry their eyes red and swollen, for that was a normal part of living and growing up.
However, the girl crying at this point wasn’t just a normal teenager. No, she was something much more. A demonkin of wrath of the age of 15. A prodigy amongst prodigies who managed to reach level 150 and become an illustrious Warbringer, one of the three personal guards of the demonkin Prince of Wrath.
This is Vifi’Yok, the “Voltaic Red.”
“Master!”
And, inside a room of a wooden cabin, hidden deep inside a forest of Estralia, the sounds of not only her weeping but also a person banging on the door filled it.
“Huek, huek… What the hell do you—” But before she could answer it, the impatient guest broke open her door, stomping into the room without permission. “Hee’Rlak!”
“Argh?!”
The demonkin girl shot a lightning bolt using her demonic power, shocking the adult demonkin intruder with pain. He didn’t say what he came into the room for, giving Vifi’Yok the time to punish him for his indiscretion.
“Fuck off!” And her method to punish him was to literally kick him out of her room, knocking him flat on the ground. She then let her mana cover her body, transforming them into red lightning before she dashed over to her demonkin companion. “Fucker! This isn’t the barracks! Stop trying to enter my room without permission! Piece of crap, what kinda apprentice can’t let his master have a moment for herself!”
Vifi’Yok and Hee’Rlak — the two demonkins of wrath who attacked Aurora a week ago. They were still currently in Estralia, resting and awaiting their next orders.
“Ugh… Glad to see you so animated, Master.” Hee’Rlak’s comment annoyed Vifi’Yok, causing her to let her foot off his chest, going back into her room with a sour mood. “Argh, sorry about that. I didn't know you were still crying.”
Vifi’Yok’s blushed, but due to her red skin, it was almost impossible for anybody to see it. She cleaned the tears on her face away with her blanket before returning her attention back to her apprentice.
“Feels better than being L.E.P. all the time. And besides, you should feel nervous, too. When I get demoted back to a normal soldier, you will be too, Hee’Rlak.”
Demonkins of wrath were emotional creatures. Every day and at whatever time, they were always controlled by their emotions. The three emotions of [Excited], [Anger], and [Fear] were the trifecta that controlled their overall mood. If all of them were at 0%, then the demonkins would feel L.E.P. — an acronym amongst their community meaning “low emotional potency.”
Essentially, they would show symptoms of depression and nihilism. While this wasn’t a problem for the life of a youth, since there was so much to experience in the world, L.E.P. cases were extraordinarily high amongst the elderly and those overindulging themselves in stimulus. As such, most strong demonkins of wrath were known as daredevils, as they required proper stimuli to keep themselves happy.
However, overflowing in all three emotions wasn’t ideal either, since reaching 100% in all of them would lead a demonkin of wrath to become, more-or-less, a stereotypical berserker. An unthinking behemoth of elemental prowess, prone to do whatever they wished without realizing what they were doing. It was almost always a death sentence to run into a three 100% emotion demonkin if you were only a normal citizen.
As such, demonkins of wrath had to balance their lives around this fact. Too little emotional stimuli were harmful to their health, while too much could deem you a threat to society. This was what it meant to live and die as a demonkin of wrath.
“Master Vifi’Yok.” Hee’Rlak helped himself up, towering over his far younger superior. “I don’t think Lord Wrath would dismiss you. This is only your third mission.”
“Third! Yes, it’s my third! And I fucked it up!” She sat down on her bed and fell onto it, laying her arms out lazily. “Hee’Rlak, you’ve been a soldier for your entire life now, you should know better. The third Warbringer is replaceable. The only two who matter are the first and second; the right and left hands of Lord Wrath.”
Vifi’Yok had only been a Warbringer for a year now. The previous number three had perished during a clash against the Folschreck Empire.
“The Warbringer I replaced heroically died in battle against two of the human empire’s Hands of Heaven. But what have I done in my last three missions? Assure the safety of some war refugees and defeat the empire grunts hunting them, then assure Lord Pride and his entourage reach his destination, and then assure the safety of some fat pig and acquire lord Envy’s phylactery. What is this? I am a Warbringer! I should be fighting in a war… not this.”
Vifi’Yok’s [Anger] and [Fear] decreased below 25%. Her tears dried out. The glowing, neon red highlights on her black hair dimmed, disappearing with her sadness. She wasn’t in a mood to cry anymore, just wanting to go to sleep now. She was officially L.E.P.
Hee’Rlak sighed, her behavior was affecting him also. “… Master, I don’t think you father—”
“Adoptive father, Hee’Rlak. We’ve only been ‘family’ for two years,” she corrected.
“‘Adoptive’ father, I apologize. Master Oshul’Yok was a powerful Warbringer, but your relationship with him wasn’t the reason Lord Wrath named you his third. Both Master Oshul’Yok and Lord Wrath identified the talents you have, and the former decided to adopt you because of them. You were to be his successor and that is why he chose to nurture you further.”
Demonkins did not officially have a last name like the rest of the races of Peolynca. They took on the naming traditions of their demonic ancestry, which was a naming theme of “first name’family name.”
For example, the reason why Ellaine called Klea’Hatma by Klea was due to this reason. Klea was the demon of lust’s first name, while Hatma was her surname. The only one who knew this trivia amongst the members of Aurora was Ellaine, as Klea’Hatma only wanted her “partner” to call her by fire name.
“Then why am I not allowed to act like a normal Warbringer?” she replied, pushing herself back up. “Why am I not allowed to take revenge on those who slew him? Why do I have to do menial duties normally reserved for foot soldiers? I even failed one of them! If that fat human swine wasn’t so important to Lord Envy, I would have left him to die and challenged that dragon myself! I would have slain her and retrieved Lord Envy’s phylactery! I would have proven myself to Lord Wrath and then I would—”
… Before she fell right back on the bed, realizing the reality of the matter.
“— have been able to repay Lord Oshul’Yok for his kindness and the warmth of a home.”
Bole’Taria, the home of the demonkins, was not a very wealthy country. Due to a never-ending war against the Empire, the demonkins were never able to build up proper architecture nor infrastructure for their cities and towns. Why waste resources and manpower on something that would be destroyed once it got taken over?
Due to the reality of their world, every demonkin was expected to spend their blood, tears and sweat to assure Bole’Taria would survive in a war that would decide if demonkins could find a place in this world or would remain outcasts forever. It was a society where the powerful would lead and rule, while the weak scrambled around, serving the strong as their wars took countless lives from each side.
And one of these “weaklings” was Vifi. A street urchin with nothing to her name otherthan the profile the gods and Divine System had granted her. “Survival of the fittest” was the name of the game. To steal, to kill, to live another day as your stats in your profile went up.
She was like many war orphans in Bole’Taria, with either her parents dying as soldiers or as fleeing citizens. The fires of war did not discriminate, but unlike the majority, Vifi managed to come out of them alive. But not only alive, but strong enough to join the army at the mere age of eight, the age when a demonkin of wrath was allowed to choose their elemental prowess.
The life of a soldier was grueling, but for the ever-warring Bole’Taria, soldiers were treated better than bakers and farmers. Training was nothing to Vifi, as the army provided her a warm home and food to fill her stomach. It didn’t matter if her body was bruised and aching at the end of each day. To her, it was better than the alternatives.
Still, once eleven, Vifi understood being a fish amongst thousands of fish would do her no good. If she wasn’t a shark, she would be devoured by one. Her life on the streets taught her that. And it was because of this fear that she drove herself on a self-imposed mission to the “Twin-Elemental Lake,” as the demonkins called it. The area where the first divine taboo was broken by shattering a dungeon core with all its mana, turning it into a nuclear bomb.
The Twin-Eleemntal lake was an areawhere the fallout of the dungeon bomb and the wrath of the Goddess of Water fused together, creating one of the most hostile monster-infested area in the world. A place worthy of Rank S.
This was where Vifi attained her iconic red lighting. This was where she became the “Voltaic Red” Vifi’Yok.
“Haaaa…” Vifi’Yok sighed. “Whatever. I don’t feel like crying anymore. What do you want, Hee’Rlak? Shouldn’t you be in bed? Your body should still need some time to get rid of that toxin. If it’s an update from Lord Envy, then no, I haven’t received one. And yes, I made sure I wrote all the formalities. I told him everything we learned, even the fact we found a lust and a sloth contractor around. I don’t know what they will do with Lord Sloth or the new Lord Lust.”
Despite her punkish appearance, Vifi’Yok was drilled in proper speech and documentation in preparation for her position as a Warbringer. Her attitude in battle was her true personality, but a Warbringer was also an officer and commander during a war, so knowing proper etiquette was a must.
“No, Master, I didn’t mean that. I know they would need more time.” Hee’Rlak then pulled out his bag, revealing a small pouch with tantalizing pastries — glazed donuts. “It’s about the System message. You’ve seen it, right?”
Hee’Rlak handed one over to Vifi’Yok, confusing the young woman. “Where did you get these? We’re so far away from Gleisvale and shouldn’t O’Bloom’s shop be closed at this point?”
“Got it from the traveling merchant from the nearby town when I went down to buy groceries,” he answered.
If a demonkin of wrath covered their skin and face, they would be able to pass by as humans.
“I didn’t ask where he got it from, since it would expose my accent, but I thought you might like it, Master,” Hee’Rlak smiled at Vifi’Yok, treating her slightly like a younger sister at this point. Noticing this, the girl flinched back and made an “ewwww” face, emotionally damaging the older demonkin.
But, the moment Vifi’Yok bit into the donut, her eyes shot right open, freezing on the spot from the taste.
W-What is this?! This is so much better than whatever crap O’Bloom gave me!
Sweet sugar coated her taste buds, tingling them into action as her [Excitement] raised from 9% to 57% in an instant. However, it was bumped even further into the 75% area, causing her electrical horns to sprout from her head. The juiciness of the fried donut hit her taste like an explosion, causing her to let out a small yelp.
I want more! She thought as she chewed on it and swallowed.
“… I’m so jealous,” she blurted out. “They can farm all this wheat so easily and then turn them into delectable sweets. What does Bole’Taria have? Nothing. It feels like our race is just a bunch of underdeveloped monsters only governed by our emotions and desires.”
Bole’Taria, as a country, was severely divided. To the south of the continent of Altrust was the island continent Nemurus, the original home of the Folschreck Empire before they moved their Imperial Capital to Riekwelst in Altrust. There, in the shadow of the human empire, the demonkin kingdom of Bole’Taria was born.
Dividing the continent into two sides, the demonkins took the western front of the island, as well as a small tip of a peninsula in Altrust, as their territory. However, over the years, more and more of the demonkins’ territory was taken away — bountiful land they needed to feed their growing populace. Now, the demonkin kingdom was stuck with mostly mountains and desert, with only a few areas worth sacrificing an army’s worth of lives to protect.
To Vifi’Yok, who grew up poor, the land of the humans was filled with wonders she would have never been able to see if she were still stuck in Bole’Taria. Starstruck by this, this young woman began to develop conflicting thoughts.
If only we could stop all this warring and just have some peace to develop our own land… but, who am I kidding. This world would never accept us. It is kill or be killed. We demonkins must win, for the world hates us.
“Whatever. Useless thoughts…” Vifi’Yok took another bite before turning around to Hee’Rlak. “Yeah, I saw it, of course. Once again, the Divine System shows the world fairness and equality, unlike everyone else in this world. It’s obvious this is supposed to be in preparation to fight us, but they still allowed us demonkins to have access to it. Hmph. Sometimes I really have to question if the Edjurl gods will be as lenient as the Origin Gods.”
“Master!” Hee’Rlak scolded his master, dismissing their current relationship for a moment.
“Whatever.” She rolled her eyes at Hee’Rlak’s behavior. “I made sure nothing will hear us, Hee’Rlak. Besides, this is just my private opinion. I won’t ever say this in public or even in private without proper precautions.”
“And? If you say such things, you can get into real trouble if anybody eavesdrops on you. ‘Always expect the worst,’ that is the soldier’s creed. If you ask me, it doesn’t matter which gods rule us, but our Lord worships the Edjurl gods. As his soldiers, that should be our goal too. We demonkins fight for stimuli, to find a reason to continue on living. We don’t need to worry who will lead, we only need to follow orders.”
Hee’Rlak was an army man. In his L.E.P. moments, he would act mostly like a middle-aged couch potato, but in his heart was the spirit of a warrior. Honor in battle. But he was also a staunch soldier, and knew orders were to be followed. As insubordination could destroy a whole chain of command during a war if it was done by an officer, like a Warbringer.
For that, Hee’Rlak had to act like an adult and not as a Warbringer’s apprentice. As strong and clever as Vifi’Yok was, she was not wise when it came to the world. Despite her previous way of living, she could be quite naive.
“… Okay, okay. Sorry, you’re right. I’ll make sure to keep this to myself.” The young woman sulked but couldn’t argue back against his words.
She knew deep down her opinion didn’t matter in the greater state of things. She was only a single soldier, another cog in the wheel. In her time as an urchin, she knew she had to learn when to take and when to leave.
What does the world matter to her? Nothing. She disliked humans, as she believed they were at fault for their race’s predicament. The animosity they showed towards their race due to their ancestry. The life she had to live. Whether the Edjurl Gods would be as lenient to all races or only kind to demonkins was not her problem. Her home was Bole’Taria.
… But, she wanted to learn more about the world.
‘The only thing I truly possess is my profile.’ She remembered her motto, always keeping it close by. She was a soldier first and foremost, and as such, had to act for the good of demonkind.
“I have no idea about this ‘Unique Job’ field,” she brought up the new System update after both calmed down. “But, from the looks of it, we will need to start training properly and find a way to gain this Job. Whatever it is. If it’s unique, it might be made to fit us.”
Vifi’Yok did not have a Job named “Voltaic Red.” In her mind, she wanted to make her title fully hers. There could only be one person who could own the Job [Voltaic Red], and that person would be her.
At least, if I understood the description correctly.
She then stood up, nodding her head with determination. “Okay, I think I know what we should do.”
“Hmm?” Hee’Rlak raised an eyebrow. “Master, we do not have any orders yet. We weren’t instructed to stay here, but it would be better if we did. You shouldn’t be going anywhere.”
“Then you stay here. Only one of us needs to be on hand to receive the notice. Once you have it, come and fetch me.”
“Master!” Hee’Rlak tried to grab the girl, but she was too fast for him to catch. In a blink of an eye, she was already at the door.
“Hee’Rlak, I am a Warbringer, correct?”
He raised an eyebrow at that sudden question. “Uhm, that is correct, Master.”
“If what you said was correct, then I am supposed to be Lord Oshul’Yok’s successor, right?”
“Yes, Master. He confided it to me. I meant every word I said.”
“Good, which means as a Warbringer, I have a certain amount of autonomy to train myself. To better and prepare myself for any upcoming war. In other words…” She dashed over to her desk, pulled out a piece of parchment and a feather pen before writing a letter in record time. “I will do exactly that. I am still too weak. I should not have struggled so much against those ants even if I wasn’t being serious. If I cannot even defeat foot soldiers easily, how can I call myself a Warbringer?”
She then furled the letter into a scroll and sealed it with her mark before handing it over to Hee’Rlak.
“Send it to Lord Envy. Hee’Rlak, we’re going south.”
“Wha-What?! Master! Hold on!” Hee’Rlak jumped onto his feet, running over to the door to block Vifi’Yok from leaving. “What do you mean by that? We cannot run around wherever we want. Our disguises are rudimentary and, if we expose ourselves, that could expose other operations in the area. Our enemies already vaguely know we are around, but if they know we are specifically staying around, this might jeopardize the actions of other agents!”
It was a logical argument, but Vifi’Yok couldn’t care less about it right now. She desired something. She wanted more strength. She wanted to “evolve” herself and gain her Unique Job. The System was available to everybody, and, as a Warbringer, it was expected of her to be one of the strongest. How else could she take her revenge on the people who killed her adoptive father?
Vifi’Yok pointed at the scroll, drawing Hee’Rlak’s attention downwards. “I’ve explained everything in the letter. We will travel to the ‘The Divide of the Five Princes.’ To the Principality of Yeos. Do you know the tale of Yeostar the Brave?”
Hee’Rlak tilted his head. As a demonkin, he had little interest in the person called Yeostar, one of the subordinate gods of the Pantheon of Light — the God of Knighthood, Bravery, and Loyalty. Vifi’Yok herself didn’t know much about him, and it also didn’t help that most tales of him were fabricated or exaggerated by the Church of Aurena, but she still heard about one little story which piqued her interest.
“Subordinate god Yeostar, when he was still a mortal, supposedly sealed away an SS rank leviathan in an underwater shrine in the depths of the Principality of Yeos. The country was made on the land Yoestar used to call home, which is why it was named in his honor.” Vifi’Yok easily pushed the two heads taller Hee’Rlak to the side as she continued her explanation. “The leviathan is most likely weakened. I want its materials. The heart and organs of an SS rank is so rare, it could probably fund entire countries.”
The heart for myself, and the body for Bole’Taria.
Upon hearing this, Hee’Rlak couldn’t stop her anymore. Using her right to work autonomously from the army, she chose a quest that could bring in a wealth of materials for the war effort. There was no reason to stop her, although, whether she could achieve her goals was another question.
To the southeast of Estralia, the demonkin duo shall travel. To the land where Yeostar lived and his legend was born.
“We reap, to water the blood lilies.”
Comments
Not like that alone can stop the Princes of Sin.
Diego Rossi
I must say, demonkins seem perfect for the coming of Hestia. An idol meeting a race that live by emotions? Instant hit. We only need to have her perform for them once, and they will be less interested in war. The problem will be stopping the Empire.
Diego Rossi
was bumb even further into the 75% area, -> bumped
