39 Burn

Deep within a mansion belonging to the 'Earth boar clan', a long cave flowed into the depths of the underground. The air was bad, moist and smelled very earthy, not welcoming even its owners. But despite of how rotten it was, the stretched out tunnel was still lit up by some glass lanterns. Brightening both the stone walls and the mood if only slightly.

On the end of this endless passage laid a giant silver door. Built by their predecessors who once carved this place out. The solid steel was made by a combination of two magical metals called 'Cronotite' And 'Kintiem'.

The first one is silver in color, and does not reflect light. For it is capable of dispersing and absorbing energy to strenghten itself. The enegy absorbtion of course, has a limit. When reached, the excess power will be sendt into the environment. Irradiating it. This may cause small mutations to occur in the organic life which surrounds it. There is also a limit to how much energy it can take before crumbling.

The last one has a darker colour, and excels at dispersing and balancing kinetic energy over it's surface. Compared to the usually lighter 'Cronotite' It is much heavier, and even harder to mix with other metals. As it disperses energy, the metal will be temporarily weakened, and it can only hold onto a limited amount. However, the more you have, the more punishment it can receive. Shields belonging to rich noble families are often made out of this metal.

Right now, several shockwaves were hammering through exactly this alloyed door. Causing the entire cave to tremble beneath the endless assault.

After a while, small dents began to appear on it, twisting the smooth metal in several different directions.

The dents continued to reproduce, every new one always deeper than the last.

Finally, with a last powerful hit, the door was forcefully sendt flying into the other side. Completely destroying the earth which previously surrounded it.

After the embedding itself into the cave wall, sending a powerful quake up to the surface, a shadow could be seen exiting from the opening.

The slightly more discernible figure was around two meters tall, having a head of thick black hair and two horns sprouting out. It wore some sort of black clothing covering the legs and upper body.

While walking out, Michael held onto two unconscious bodies with his large hand. Stringing the textile they wore onto one of his sharp fingers.

The first body you would notice was the one wearing a bloody yellow robe with weird eyeballs imprinted on it. Worn by a heavily bruised bald man. His face was beyond recognition, batterered blue with a large collections of claw marks running down the rest of his exposed skin.

The other figure was much better off. Lissanna still had her normal appearence, only, two rivers of red flowed down from her bleeding ears.

Michael took a look at the unconscious woman for a second, reevaluating what he had chosen to do.

'I only wanted to knock her out, but I think using [Roar of Disarray] six times fried her brain..'

'Well, who cares. I bet the people who ended up on their plates are thanking me."

He ignored them both and continued to walk deeper into the barely lit cave passage.

After effortlessly dragging the pair away, Michael finally found a set of stairs. Leading up to what he estimated to be the surface.

While rising up, the bodies constantly hit against the wooden steps. Making small *dong* sounds each time he ascended higher.

'Wonder what's happening outside..'

.....

"T...This..."

Michael had exited the underground lair, now greeted by a desolate flatland. The entrance he came out of seemed to be connected to mansion, but he found himself standing between a bunch of half burnt rubble.

Spread around the scorched earth laid heaps of small stone and plank shards. Most likely originating from the hundres of statues pilled inside every room of the previously unscratched villa.

He was planning on leaving, but overheard some loud shouting which came in his direction.

"FOUR F***NG DAYS MICHAEL?? WHAT THE ACTUAL F****! DO I ALWAYS HAVE TO COME LOOK FOR YOU???"

The blond haired Jenkins was currently stumbling towards him through the rubble. Kicking away any burnt pieces standing in his way.

As he finally found himself before Michael, the elf looked down at the bleeding bodies silently laying on the chipped ground.

"Looks like you did well here. You may thank me now by the way!"

Jenkins sourly puffed his chest out while closing closing his eyes. Waiting for a round of praise and thanks.

However, Michael only starred weirdly at him. Not knowing what this guy's deal was.

"What do you mean?"

Jenkins stopped posing, now looking angrily at the ogre while crossing his arms.

"I hooked you up with the second heir to this prestigious cannibalistic, nymph cult and you dare give such an ungrateful reply?!"

"What? You knew?!"

"Don't play dum, you monkey shaped cow! Of course I knew!"

Michael felt a weak anger rise from within, but suppressed it down with the increasing difficulty to understand.

"Why did you do this?"

Jenkins starred at him, narrowing his eyes even further. Judging his very existence with every passing second.

"I noticed that the Michael which I allied myself with that faithful day started to fade away."

"The eyes you had back then, before being possessed by that 'Marss' guy, was the eyes of a capable and trustworthy man!"

"However..."

Jenkins's anger seemed to almost fume over as he looked at Michael.

"Where did all of these useless emotions come from?! Peh! I always knew you weren't that kind of ignorant fool!"

Michael wanted to talk back to him, but Jenkins only screamed louder.

"YOU AND I MICHAEL! We have things to do..."

The deep feminim voice calmed itself. Growing more masculine as Jenkins's expression darkened. He blended into the destroyed background while emitting a aura of death and neutrality.

"And one of them is not wasting time playing around with useless people."

Michael looked back at the golden haired elf. Although what he said was exaggeration it a little, his words had a dark logic behind them.

Feeling defeated and ashamed once again, Michael looked him straight in the eyes. Understanding what he meant.

"Sorry."

Satisfied with what the asnwer he was given, Jenkins nodded his head. Then turning the amber eyes to the passed out couple.

"They are the leaders of the branch sect staying in 'Bell city'. The clan's headquarter is rooted in Delil.."

Michael agreed with his eyes, starting to remember the two girls who ran away.

"Is that so. Did you stop the two who escaped?"

Looking back at the ogre, Jenkins gave him a weird look while crossing his arms.

"What? No. You can deal with your girlfriend by yourself."

"She isn't my girlfriend!"

"Well, you at least slept with the harem of weirdos here before killing them, right?"

"....."

"Right.....?"

"Well, I.."

He was planning on replying, but a small ball of spit hit his black shirt.

"CHE! I cannot belive such an incompetent individual actually dare to waste my time like this!"

Michael looked at him with a complicated and insulted expression. Very defiant of his criticism.

"They were cannibals!"

"But they were hot Michael! And it's not like they would eat you while doing it."

"These people only cut of remains which didn't turn to stone, that is, after draining the victims of their attribute."

"You are giving me too much information.."

"Even if you don't like what I am saying, we are bound to deal with these people sooner or later."

Jenkins spun back to the unconscious bodies behind Michael. Scratching his long blond haie whike starting to talk once more.

"Now tell me."

He looked back at the horned boy, while at the same time pointing at them with the arm which just scratched his head.

"Why are those two behind you still alive?"

...

Lissanna slowly woke up from her slumber, finding herself locked in some sort of room alongside her healed up husband.

"What is this place?"

Her groggy voice spread into the unrecognizable environment, bouncing around as it pleased.

As she continued to turn around, two figures appeared before her.

The first one was some sort of elf, while the other was a familiar boy. Now, however, in a regular size and without any horns.

She wanted to say something, but felt a type of restraint keeping her from talking.

Looking down at her neck, there was a black choker which ran itself from the windpipe, and all the way around to the tip of her spine.

While desperately plucking on the black line with her ichy fingers, a deep feminin yet masculine tone caught her attention.

"Mabye you regained some of your intelligence back. However, only getting these two will not make me retract my previous statement."

After the yellow haired demi human spoke, she heard the familiar voice of Marss enter her ears.

"Doesn't matter. This woman is sure to have some sort of intelligence network we can exploit. That is, if you haven't already turn it to ash."

Jenkins smiled while looking at the fearful girl sitting before him. Turning around and preparing to leave, yet not before muttering one last thing before disappearing.

"Good job Michael."

Hearing this, Michael smiled a little as he watched Lissanna sitting obediently on the floor.

"You don't have to be scared, Lissanna darling. 'You can speak now'."

Hearing his command, she felt the choker loosen up, releasing her voice.

Too terrified to lash out at him, she just silently ask while keeping her distance.

"What do you want from me...?"

Michael smile became even more terrific as he gave her a single command before turning around. Following after Jenkins's footsteps.

"Well, 'You will, from now on, be my eyes and ears. You will gather any and all intelligence I ask you for, and disobeying means instant death'."

He rubbed his palm against the sharp chin. Thinking about something more.

"And also, 'You will never betray me, and all underlings under you will be given the same [Slave Choker] you are currently wearing'."

"If you find any information which may be useful in the future, all is to be given to me. Are we clear?"

Hearing him finish talking, the choker around her neck brunt into the skin, and she helplessly nodded at him while choosing to accept her new faith.

Seeing it work, he thdn threw a set of similar choker onto the floor, then leaving it with her alone in the dark.

...

"Four days since I last was here eh?"

Michael was currently entering the castle shaped academy once more. When he entered through the gate, several of the guards there nodded at him. Had his reputation as one of the vice principals apprentices spread?

'Jenkins said to postpone the original plan by a couple days so that I can spend time learning, but...'

While walking through the old brick halls, he slightly frowned each time he thought about what Jenkins ment.

'Doesn't matter now. He is a special guy, really.."

As he came closer to where his dorm was, a figure suddenly appeared in the corner of his eyes.

After fully seeing who it was, a familiar frame belonging to a half elf with brown hair entered his sight. This was Caleen, the top apprentices under the vice principal.

Seeing that he recognized her, made a splendid smile blossom on her face. And although Caleen would usually be considered scary or bossy at times, she was rather charming when expressing happiness, as it would shine of her sharp facial features like sunlight.

"It's good to see that you're back, Marss!"

"Thank you, Senior apprenti.."

"Caleen works!"

"Caleen then. Was there a reason for you to show up here, or....?"

Hearin what he said, she snapped out of the jolly fantasy clouding her mind. Proceeding to report what she came for.

"Yes. Teacher was very satisfied with how you handled the wendigo and wants to host a small banquet for you initiation."

Michael froze up after hearing this. Blankly starring at her for a while.

"Now that you are here, we will hold it in two days. Don't forget to wear something nice, and that you may bring two guests."

After finishing, the half elf walked away. Leaving him standing there.

'It would be rude not to go, and I bet Jenkins would make quite the show. Also..."

He went to door leading to his room and poured some energy into it.

The mechanism unlocked itself, allowing him entry.

When the door closed again, he saw a familiar woman sleeping on his bed.

She had green skin and sharp nails, but even with all these weird looks, she was still shorter than his human sized form.

Nemesis, who slept as peacefully as a flower, was suddenly woken up by the sound of the door.

Feeling a little tired and startled, she looked towards Michael who was silently smiling at her waking figure.

"Sorry for the disturbance."

Fully recognizing that it was him, she also smiled back. Happy for his return.

"You don't have to think about it! Welcome back."

As she stood up, Michael noticed that she now wore some regular clothes, similar to the ones the townsmen haf. All in all, consisting of s simple shirt and some pants.

Feeling his gaze travel to her new attire, she immediately answered.

"That damn el...I mean, sir Jenkins gave me these."

Michael did not break his smile when hearing her unfinished first sentence, but inside he began to nervously chuckle.

'What was that?'

"Wonderful! However, we are getting you something fancier tomorrow. So bear with it for now."

She seemed a little stunned by what he said, making her eyes almost pop out of her small head.

But before she could ask what he meant by that, Michael once more began to speak.

"Yes, and I almost forgot!"

[Familiar status displayed]

[Level:20/20 Max]

[Name: Nemesis][Race: Hobgoblin]

[Titles:Familiar of Michael]

"Let me evolve you first!"

Nemesis registered what he said, and her eyelids only further contracted. Fully absorbing every detail of the person standing there.

Her body soon became embroiled in a warm green light, and as the image of Michael slowly dissapeared from her vision, a determined glint appeared inside her eyes.

Sequences of how her tribe was constantly hunted down by different races played back to back. Eventually reaching the present day, where everyone except her had been brutally executed and tortured by some sort of black thunder storm.

Remebering that faithful day, a sweet yet old feminin voice spoke to her before dissipating. It was filled with the compassion of a guardian, yet the spitefulness of a tortured wolf.

"My daughter, you must avenge us.. You must avenge us.."

A tear fell down from within the light, and she found herself silently mumbling something while while her consciousness faded away.

"Mother...."

"I definitely will.."

And so the green sun took its first step towards the sky. The one who would one day bring drought and desolation upon those daring to go against it.