Deep roots

Year 144

After a bit of bureaucracy, Kei and Lausanne were finally met again in Freshka. 

“Hello again. Has the restrictions on your class lifted?” Lausanne asked.

“Yes it has, Lady Lausanne.” Kei bowed. Lausanne was pretty much an old auntie for the 18 year old Kei. “I’ve leveled a bit after fighting regular monsters, but still, my hero levels are way too low. Only in the lower 20s. No way near enough, if what you told us last time was true.” 

“Well, the Rottedlands is a fine anvil to hone any [hero] into a worthy shape. I may even take you there myself, but I have a kid to care for.” Lausanne shrugged. “Where’s Alvin and Hans?”

Kei waited for a while, she pondered over her response. “Uh...”

“They don’t believe me, right?” Lausanne laughed. 

“...yeah. They uh... they’re really into the stories and legends the priests and temples fed them. So I had to travel alone.”

“Well, you’ll soon realise this continent does have it’s own propaganda.”

There was a period of awkward silence as both sized each other. Kei then continued. “You spoke of Aeon’s uh... weapons. A stockpile of hero items. I’d like to have them.”

“It is not mine to give, but Aeon’s. The previous heroes entrusted the task to Aeon. It is for you to prove yourself worthy of them.”

Kei nodded. “How may I do so?”

“First, we’ll need to get your levels up to at least level 70. Without Star Mana, the items are useless to you, for they respond to nothing else.”

“I can’t be waltzing into the Rottedlands by myself, right? I’m only level 20+ in my [hero] class, and Level 30+ in my [soldier] class.” 

“Well... that’s actually one of the best ways to level quickly. Put yourself in trouble and fight your way out of it. Or we can spar a bit more, under Aeon’s auspices and blessings.” 

“Would that make much of a difference?” Kei asked. 

“It will. But first, a familiar.” Lausanne said. “My black vines are from my familiar, and I am certain Aeon wants you to have a familiar before he grants you access to the facilities available here.”

“Is that a must?”

“Yes.”

“Okay then.” I gave her a familiar at the temple, then they used one of the many [training rooms], with Yvon present too. Yvon as an upgraded [training tree] would also have an effect of accelerating her level gain.

- 

When Kei arrived at the end of last year, I had to decide what to do with the hero. It was clear I could not kill her, there was after all a moratorium on killing heroes until the demon king died, and I wasn’t going to risk a divine curse. I already have a suppressed demonic curse to deal with.

So, after some consideration, and discussions with the many different councils, I decided assisting the heroes was the best choice. Get her on my side, and at least if the other two heroes are nasty, it’d be me and a hero vs 2 heroes, instead of me against 3 heroes. It was also better to learn what they know, and discover how their powers worked. I would even offer her a familiar, and reap the benefits if she died, just like the earlier bunch. 

So far the gods have not warned against taking my familiars, so that’s a good thing. I wonder whether they really hate me, or they are just testing me in some kind of divine game. 

Or maybe, they don’t have the ability to communicate directly with the heroes? The people of the world could receive divine messages, but I had not heard of stories where the heroes received divine messages. 

If the managers of the reincarnation process, Mozart and gang are not the same ones as the gods who summoned them, it is entirely possible that certain messages don’t get through. Thinking back, Mozart did refer to the gods as if they were someone else. Or perhaps it is just a trick. Like seemingly different shops in a shopping mall all owned by the same person. 

Anyway, I decided to help her along. 

-

“Level 60!” Kei said after two weeks! She was quick, and the regular hybrids of the Rottedlands now too  weak for her. A level 60 hero was easily stronger than a level 80 [spearmaster] or [grand knight]. It was just the nature of absurdly powerful classes like [hero]. Every few levels, a bit more of her regular mana transformed into star mana. 

By level 100, 100% of her mana is star mana, though she could change it to normal mana if she so desires. At least, that’s how the earlier heroes had it. 

“My two friends are only in the 40s back in the South, and still they refuse to come here!”

“Well, a bit more for you to go. Perhaps, level 90, then Aeon will see you.”

“Alright!”

-

The next 30 hero levels came after 4 months of constant grinding. She had to travel the fractured Rottedlands, to look for the giant hybrids, because only the massive hybrids gave her sufficient experience. Still, it’s exceptionally fast levelling speed, but for the heroes, it still felt too slow. Still, I chose level 90, because I recall one of the first few heroes I met unlocked their [heavenly forms] at that level. 

Kei’s level 90 skill wasn’t heavenly form. Instead, it was, [Heavenly Guns Array]. It created a massive star mana powered fortress around her with multiple magical floating flak-cannon lookalikes. They had a large range, and clearly were meant to take out aerial opponents. 

She was, literally, a walking anti-air fortress. A shipgirl. I had to resist really hard to ask whether she knew what a shipgirl was. 

“Damn. Finally back to civilization after hitting level 90.” Kei said, finally back in a large city after spending her last few months camping out in the towns along the Tree-expressways. Those towns were her ‘save spot’ as she ventured into the Rottedlands.

We granted her a small escort, mostly as a guide. There really was no need to attach an upgraded Valthorn with her, since her level’s already quite high, so her escorts were mostly a few regular Aeonic priests, for healing, and a small squad of regular Valthorn soldiers and rangers. 

She quickly visited Lausanne. Somehow, Lausanne’s her ‘guide’, even if she’s still busy with Arlisa and just as a trainer. 

“I’m level 90 now, can I meet Aeon and claim my weapon?” 

Lausanne just bowed, “I’m afraid the right person to assist you is Jura.”

“Oh.”

She met Jura in the Valthorn Fortress, and quickly made her request. “Yes. I believe Aeon has been expecting you. Before that, there is someone Aeon wants you to meet.”

-

“Kei, this is Astia. She’s a human from your world, I believe.”

Stella just nodded, she was nervous, afraid, and yet excited to meet someone from her own world. “Hi.”

“Hello.” Kei just nodded. “You’re... not a hero?” She scratched her head, baffled. Stella just smiled at her question.

“No. I’m an accident. Collateral damage.”

“That’s... really strange. And rather than let you die normally, they send you here?” 

“Uh... yeah.” 

“Did you... die in a bus?”

Stella answered, she was more nervous. She now wondered why she even agreed to this. What did she want out of this meet, anyway? So what if the hero was from earth. There was no way they could help her, is there? Those thoughts immediately made her blurt out. “Uh, do you know how to go back?”

Kei looked at Stella as if it was a strange question. “Why would I want to go back? This world is awesome. I get magical powers, I can slay demons, and I get to live like a Queen once I win.” 

Stella immediately realised Kei was just like the first batch, the kids. They wanted to be in this world. “Oh. I see. Well... uh... good luck then.” Stella gave a wave and walked away.

“Alright. Can I claim my hero items now?” Kei immediately changed the subject. 

Jura smiled and led her to a nice garden with a gazebo and a small area. There were cookies, fruits, tea, and some other refreshments. “Well, I’ll take you there, but first, a short break, shall we? I’ve got some questions to ask as well.”

“Oh okay.” She sat down, took a sip and started snacking. 

“Well, firstly. On behalf of Aeon, what do you think is the role of a [hero]?” 

Kei paused. “Is that a trick question?”

“Not really, Aeon promised the previous generation of heroes that he will grant you a hero item, but he merely wanted to be sure.”

She took another sip. “I don’t know, actually. The gods we met, his name was Claude. He said we were.. Uh... emergency summons. Our mission was to destroy the demon king, and we would be rewarded for it. [Hero]’s probably too big a word for me. I don’t think I’m a hero, at least not yet, so  I suppose you could consider us... uhm... demon exterminators?”

“I see, I see.” Jura smiled. “Have some cookies? They are good.” Jura took one and had it too. “Are you aware of the history of [heroes] and the [demon kings]?”

“Yeah, I mean, I got the broad gist of it. The priests we met told us about how the world had regular demon kings and us heroes are summoned to fight them. It’s just the way the world is, a constant cycle of destruction and rebirth. Evil monsters from the beyond, and heroes to stop it.” 

“Well, lately, the destruction has been far too heavy for the world to bear. It is no longer just a regular forest fire, but an inferno that engulfed a continent. If there was a way to stop this cycle, would you ever take it?”

Kei froze at the question, and seemed to have a headache. She didn’t respond for a good minute, her eyes were blank. “Uh... I’m sorry. It was just really difficult for me to think somehow..” She took a big sip of tea. 

“It’s okay.” Jura smiled. “Take all the time you need.”

“I think that’s a choice not for me to decide. I mean, the god entrusted me to slay the demon king, I think I should do it. It’s my purpose, you know.”

“Is it really your purpose, or a purpose that was placed on you?”

Again, she took another big sip of tea and ate some of the fruits. “Whoah. We’re onto some heavy conversations before I get the hero items, isn’t it?”

“Well, have you not wondered why it’s so natural for you to want to kill demons? Why with such passion and determination?”

Kei seemed to struggle to respond. “You know... these questions are really making my head spin. I don’t know, but demons are the bad guys, right? I’m given all these powers to kill demons, so what do I do, if not kill demons?”

Jura smiled at the young girl. “Surely, when all you have is a hammer...”

“Everything looks like nails.” Kei continued. “So yes, I have anti-demon powers, I’m gonna use them, and then after I win, I’m going to take a break.”

It seemed that Kei’s mindset is quite heavily affected by the [hero] power. Almost more than the previous generation, or is this because she has yet to see the destruction that follows?

“What was on your mind when you arrived in the Eastern Continent?”

“Destruction. So much destruction from the demon king. It’s only right we defeat them.”

Jura realised at that point it was pointless to continue. “I believe that’s enough. Come.” Jura led her into the Valley of the Unrotten. It was a relatively long walk, there were no beetles to ferry them, even though that is possible. 

Jura led her to one of the large giant attendant trees within, and inside it, there was a room with a selection of hero items. 

“Well, on all the tables are the hero items. The previous heroes said that you may choose one.”

“Only one?” 

“Yes. One item. And we will need you to contribute back to the treasury as well, by making a hero item.”

Kei paused and thought. “Anything else?”

“There are some journals left by the heroes, they are meant for your reading, but cannot be taken. You may also leave your own journals, if you feel like it.”

Jura left her alone inside, and that was the first time I telepathically spoke to her.

“Kei.”

She froze. “...Aeon?”

“Yes. These are belongings of Harris, Gerrard and Mirei, they came almost 60 years ago. They started the 4 decades of peace, when they held back 4 demon kings consecutively.”

“I see.” She sat down and she was drawn to the journals first. She started reading the handwriting notes. I wasn’t privy to the contents, since the journal itself was sealed. Yet, it opened for her so naturally, as if it detected another hero. 

She spent a few hours with the journals, and I thought I saw her weep at a few points. There was a kind of heroic energy in the journals that blocked my ability to eavesdrop or observe, and I certainly wasn’t aware of this ability. It was when she finally closed the journal that I could talk to her again. 

But she was just stunned. She didn’t say a word for another 30-45 minutes, but I could see she was thinking really, really hard. 

“Aeon?” She asked after that period of silence.

“Yes?”

“Do you.... Still have herbal infused wines? Or teas? The strongest ones?”

A small teapot appeared in the Giant Attendant Tree, and hot water too. She quietly brewed the tea and sipped it, her mind still spinning. Patreeck could not read her mind once she passed Level 40 as a hero. She sat there and sipped.

“I... I wasn’t ready to see those... visions.” Kei said.

“Sorry? I’ve got no idea what is in the journals.”

“I mean... they left memories behind in the journals. Some kind of dreamspell that contained a fragment of themselves. It’s like... It’s like a part of them still lived in the journal.”

“Ah.” I certainly wasn’t aware that a journal could be made so powerful. But since it was made with [star mana], I suppose anything is possible. 

“The gods want us to kill the demon and keep the cycle going, isn’t it?”

“Well, yes?”

“But they also want us to die, so that the world’s constantly in turmoil?”

I had no answer.

“Do you believe what the heroes said?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“I mean, that this demon and us... we’re the god’s way of resetting the system? Keep this world stagnant and stuck in a perpetual state of war. Do you believe that?”

“That’s just one of the theories. Without asking the gods, no one knows.” I suppose that sounded like one of the crazy musings Gerrard had. I didn’t know he recorded that into the journal.

She sat. “I...” She looked like she was about to have a nervous breakdown.

“It changes nothing for you, really. The gods have already predestined that you must slay the demon king, or die. That is a task you have.”

“I can choose to do nothing.” She had a headache again, and she quickly took a sip of the tea.

“Your two friends will do it for you, or they will die trying. It is best you go with them. Again, knowledge only changes your perspective, but not the task at hand.”

Kei sat for a while, and then she stretched. “Yes. You are right. And I too, should do my part.” She walked over to the journal, and she channeled her star mana into it. The journal glowed, and I thought it became bigger. She then spent the next few hours analysing the other hero items, and a few more hours making more hero items. 

All in, she spent almost 3 days there and she left with a spear. But I felt she changed. I’m really curious what’s in the journal now. 

“Thank you, Aeon. I must now depart and join my friends. It will be time for me to do my duty, whether we like it or not.” 

“Good luck.”

Kei left Freshka, and started her journey to return to the Eastern Continent. She would have to travel from Freshka, and journey to the port cities on the Eastern Coast, and then arrange for a special pirate ship that would smuggle her there.

-

“How’re you, Astia?” Stella was in her studio, working on her paintings and posters. That little meet with Kei didn’t go as well as I liked, and strangely, it made her turn to painting.

“I’m fine.” No she’s not. Her mental indicators were a mess. She felt lonely, alone in the world. She wondered whether death would return her to her own world, and yet she lacked the guts to actually kill herself. There was no one who could help her.

“Alright.” I decided not to push it. “The door is always open should you ever need to speak, or want to go somewhere. The Central Continent is home to many beautiful sights, and if you wish, I may arrange someone to go with you.”

“Thanks.” Her mind’s still locked up. I could force it open, but I decided not to. Perhaps she needs meditation. Even though it’s been years since she arrived, she’s still not yet accepted reality, her mind clung onto her old world, no matter how painful her life there was. She still yearned to go home. She had no friends, but many acquaintances. 

I had tried to create environments for her to make friends, but she couldn’t let anyone in. So it didn’t go anywhere.

-

The runic formations necessary for a supermassive blood ritual were 60% complete. Creating them was far harder than I expected. Containing the energies that such a ritual would release was one of the two main struggles, the second point of difficulty was then compressing such a massive ritual into a single shot. 

Runes were hard, especially at large scales. I hope that I never have to resort to such bloody tactics.

On other preparations, Hytreerion, my tree walker was idle. It was a massive anti-air fortress and it sat at the edges of the Eastern Continent. It could not walk or swim across the ocean, and I wondered whether flight was a good idea. But then, I also doubt a Flying Titan could swim across the ocean. It was a distance far too large to bridge. 

Still, the [Trade Lord]’s efforts to convert a few of the port cities into mini-pirate dens were quite successful. Piracy had a kind of charm to it, and as a privateer, it was even better. They had legal backing of the Central Continent. 

The Eastern Continent managed to hold on, even if so many have died. The demon king clearly is incapacitated or ‘sealed’ to some effect. 

At the same time, I wanted to activate my two unique classes. “Lausanne. I have a special class, [Aeonic Demonslayer]. Do you want it?”

“...no.” 

“No?”

“No. Perhaps you could offer it to Jura?”

“Why not?”

“I think... I think I don’t deserve this special treatment.” Lausanne said. “I certainly lack the kind of genius talent needed to maximise such a class. After spending such a long time as an adventurer, I realised my talent’s honestly just above average, my main advantage is really my high levels, and the unique abilities that you gave me. In the hands of someone truly talented and gifted, I think your powers can go much further. And at the same time, it’s also fear. I may not live up to the expectations such a special class would have, and I may do stupid things.”

It’s motherhood, isn’t it? But I didn’t say it. 

“So... please, offer it to someone else.”

“Very well.”

-