SOML – Chapter 41: Changing fate

 Chapter 41 – Changing fate

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Glug. Foam formed in his mouth. He couldn’t comprehend why his seatmate in the caravan would kill him.

Grimo landed his hand on the man’s head. A power gushed and pulled something out from the man–a shadow!

He flicked his sleeves, absorbing the shadow within it. Then, he brought something from his pocket before placing it to the corpse. A moment later, the corpse melted until a pool of liquid remained.

“Hm. This camp barely enough to create my army. Also, I’ll get caught if I wasn’t careful. I already got the note that knights are hot on my tails. So, I have to shave a little from every camp we will pass.”

Grimo and the caravan had to settle in this camp for a few days. There was little he could about it. So, Grimo practiced perceiving the Seed of Emotion inside him.

But he needed to be careful, for there might be someone who had excellent senses out there. A demon starting to have an emotion should be a quite bounty for them.

Unlike counties who had County Lord and villages who had a protector or a clan to make sure their wellness, everyone should safeguard camps.

They had created human camps solely for these small businesses. Every destination could reach from hundreds to millions of miles away. They didn’t have large background nor resources to open up portals, so this was the only method.

And if they could catch someone like Grimo, they would definitely be so happy! Just the amount of pay could be equivalent to a single successful venture!

Grimo didn’t continue thinking of these when a crow landed in his window.

“Who? Von Ruler? That bastard!! You dare follow me? I will kill you this time!” The Seed of Emotion inside him didn’t move even with all his flaring, however.

…

The bandits finally left. They couldn’t feel but pity they didn’t have a guide. But that was it.

Moving on, the trio recalled their information.

“Let’s share what we learned. Those creatures weren’t Beasts, that’s a fact.”

“Yes. They are too weak for them to be Beast. We should already be slaughtered if it was true. Only one of them got moves. We only have to be wary with their speed though.”

“But not a demon too.” Ben whacked his head.

“Probably we are missing something.” Jed said. This made Sarah recalled something.

“I remember seeing a report before. Those demons created a similar Transformation Arts like Beasts. Damn, I’m sorry because I stopped reading further back then.”

“It’s alright, Sis.” Jed patted the hay before him. “If that’s really our missing puzzle, then, I might have gotten the complete picture.”

The boy whispered what he knew. Wrapping up his understanding, he clapped. “So, let’s change strategy. Instead of being defensive and waiting for those things to attack, let’s attack them instead.”

“How can we attack them?” The other two became confused. But when they heard his plan, they immediately agreed.

…

“Hmph! They will know that boasting will cause nothing!” Sisi stomped her feet.

Embarrassed last night, she now recovered and vented to her surroundings. When she came to a stop, exhausted, she became worried about their mission. “Then we don’t get paid, is it?

Bede patted the lass. “Sisi, there’s nothing we can do about it.”

“Shit! That whore and her two gigolos! I’ll fry them next time we meet!”

Walking in front, Mikel frowned when he heard her words. “Hey. Did I teach to be like that? Where are your manners, huh? Young Lady?”

Sisi put on a long face. She whispered in a way she could only hear. “Father, they don’t know better. They just know how to boast and dared to treat us like that.”

“What’s the plan now, Boss?” The malicious-looking guy poked Mikel.

Everyone also had the same thought. They could have bag this mission to win big. Yet, the outcome was disappointing. This made Mikel to contemplate.

“Hmm. Why don’t we do this…”

…

“Hihihi. This time those monsters will be−.” Pak. Ben stopped talking as he rubbed the oozing pain in his head.

Sarah gave him an angry face before they continued with their mission.

In a wide expanse of grass, an inverted boat sailed through in a magical manner. But looking closer, three pairs of feet maneuvered the boat to move. Several tiny holes drilled through it so Sarah and co. could somehow see around them.

“Are you sure they will come here?” Sarah asked one more time.

“Mm.”

“Why the boat though?” “Hmm.”

“Turtle.” “Hm?”

“Tell me honestly, what are the chances your plan will work?”

“If my understanding is correct, those guys are from Manecoon Clan. They are only making up that so-called monster.”

“You already said that.”

“So, this is where Manecoon Clan will come. Remember when they chase after us? We assumed there’s a nearby demon stronghold in the forest.”

“As for the boat, it can cover us from the weather while we wait here. If we hide in the trees, it’s possible they will spot us. This is also their home ground. At least, if we hid under the boat, we will remain inconspicuous.”

“What if they have those with good noses? Won’t they target us with long range attacks?”

“It is up to luck then. We only have limited information. The villagers might have info, but I doubt they will share it with us.”

Ben joined their whispering, “Are they really that untrustworthy? Maybe they got forced to do things?”

The other two became quiet.

After decades of waiting, they still didn’t see their targets. Sarah became irritated. She had an itch but nowhere to vent.

“Let’s go! There’s nothing if we actively wait here! We can just beat up a villager if they don’t speak!”

“Hays. Sis, we already did that to a few of them. But nothing happened. Instead, they give us looks like we are barbarians. Also, because of that we are not welcome anymore.”

Jed narrowed his eyes, immediately shushing them. “I see something.”

Their boat stopped. Everyone concentrated to peer at the distance. Glancing at one another, they spoke at the same time.

“Karmen? Didn’t we said that she shouldn’t leave the house?!” They could see the little girl playing with someone. A boy who seemed the same age as her. The duo laughed as they chased each other. It could be a beautiful sight.

From their perspective, however, Karmen was being naughty.

Their steps briskly plowed the grass underneath them. Sarah felt she had to scold that unruly kid with a smack.

But they hadn’t gotten near when they shuddered. Their sense of danger kicked. They spun their vision, nervously looking everywhere. Sweating, their perception tingled like a nonstop alarm clock.

Whoosh. A broad shadow darted behind the helpless girl with its claws inching closer. The latter’s eyes widened while the boy opposite to her blinked his eyes.

Roar! Sarah punched the boat upwards. Ben also did the same while Jed tripled his speed.

Ting. Sparks emerged between the clash of claws and dagger.

Tonyo became startled because it just wanted to scare the little lass. It had observed her for a long time and saw that Tob grew happy with her. It was unexpected for an incident like this would occur. The situation didn’t let it think, though.

A girl swooped in from above. Tonyo’s eyes narrowed when it saw the ground cracking from her punch. Next, another boy came in, wanting to ram itself towards the tree.

Tonyo focused, it got out of entanglement by the boy. It saw the change in the latter’s face. Surveying such detail, the creature judged the boy as inexperienced. The problem was the other boy running parallel with itself.

“Wait!” The little boy shouted behind them.

Yet no one stopped.

Tonyo exchanged blows with this handsome youth. After several seconds, the latter broke a sweat–his opponent could actually keep twice its speed!

Nonetheless, Jed remained confident. He had team mates and also one more trump card! Although, he could do this only two times a day, but he thought it was enough.

The boy’s body became a blur. Everything in his surrounding turned into slow motion pictures. He could feel their breath. And also the sense of holding everything in his hands!

Faster and faster! The wind flowed against him because of friction! But Jed didn’t bother with it as he unleashed a fatal stab!

Pshk. Everyone turned into a stone. They couldn’t believe their eyes. The little boy actually used his body to block Jed’s attack.

Pshk. Jed groaned, pulling the dagger from the flesh. Fortunately, he managed to block his dagger with his other hand. The only thing was the unconscious boy who fainted from shock.

The monster before them growled. Although there was no anger in its eyes, they could still see it became serious.

Peng. Jed flew in vertically. He didn’t even see how he got hit. The only thought of being faster than him registered to his brain!

“Four times faster than normal speed!”

Sarah and Ben coordinated. Although the former managed to somehow blocked most of the attack, the latter had difficulty with it. Scratches started to pile up on his body. And he became agitated at how none of his attacks landed!

“Damn. It looks the same with the other three but stronger and faster!”

Sarah also found it difficult to describe her feelings. She had thought as long as their opponent didn’t have an advantage in number, they could win with teamwork. Alas, she knew she had been too naïve!

Their opponent had turned into a shadow, zipping and flashing everywhere around them. Leaves fluttered, and the branches quivered.

Unlike Jed, this creature not only had faster speed, but could also use the terrain, creating almost omnidirectional attacks!

Jed had already joined them. Their backs contacted with one another. Yet, they still didn’t feel safer!

“Shit! How can he maintain this speed for long?”

Jed gritted his teeth as he felt his numbed hands. “Endure it. It won’t be long!”

A thin red line emerged on Sarah’s neck, making the proud daughter to scowl. She cursed nonstop in order to ease her irritation.

After seemingly a long time, the attacks subsided. Their hands kept trembling, yet they didn’t dare lower their guards.

“Where is it?”

Sarah bit her lips. The peaceful scene before them told her something. “It’s gone.”

“We lost?” Ben sat on his butt while Jed noticed only Karmen remained while the other boy was missing.

“He is the real deal—a Beast.”

“How do you kill a Beast again, Sis?” Ben had wondered this multiple times.

The girl tapped her forehead. “Enough preparation to ambush, then exhaust it until it dies. At least, not until you go down first. Turtle, you are right. But let’s add one thing.”

“They didn’t create a monster… they impersonated it.”

“It does really look like a monster. So ugly.” Ben gulped and couldn’t help but look at the trembling Karmen. “But it seems more hideous than its fake counterparts.”

Karmen pinched Sarah’s dress. “Pretty Big Sis! You have to rescue Tobirane!”

But this only made Sarah shook her head.

“That boy…” Sarah surmised. “He doesn’t look unsafe to me.”

“W-what?”

“The creature, I feel a dangerous aura out of it. But–it lacks a killing intent.”

…

In a dim-lighted place, six people sat at a round table. Tucked in the middle of two humans, Ilocos nervously played with his foot. On his left, a bald man with gentleman disposition smiled at their opposites. Unlike him, though, the man in Ilocos’ right had a nonchalant expression. The latter had a tattoo of a scaly and fanged animal on his left arm.

Opposite to them sat the demon trio who impersonated the monster. The strongest of the three observed the ice sculptor in his hands while his comrades do the talking.

“Ilocos! Your acting sucks! Those brats might have gotten idea who we are!” A demon called Grumpy bared its teeth. “This plan will fail because of you!”

Karmen’s father stuttered. “Let’s finish this already. My daughter is already getting close to them.”

Grumpy sneered. “That’s your problem! Humans are really feeble creatures.”

The other demon hooted in disdain.

“Let’s start the discussion then.” The gentleman interrupted to stop their bickering. “First, the agenda to make another ritual. So far, the sacrifices are enough. But if we added theses three, we might have gotten a bonus. A few villagers spotted them hoisting out a boat. Hm. But instead of going to the river, they brought it to the grassland.”

“They didn’t escape?” The strongest demon continued fondling the sculpture. “Are you sure your people are tightlipped?”

“Of course.” Ilocos quivered. “They will help us if time comes.”

“Man them, don’t let anyone of them escape your sight.”

“I have interesting info, you want?” The man with tattoo interjected.

The strongest demon’s eyes flickered while wariness painted his comrades’ face. He was the quietest yet had the dangerous feeling around him.

They categorized Ilocos as disposable, while the gentleman was the best ally who they could betray anytime. Only this tattooed man worth their consideration.

“Good. Tell us what do you know.”

“From what we know, people will go to Enderian Journey every time it opens. But this time, that foolish Grandmaster exited his seclusion just for a specific person.”

“We all know that. That’s why we squeezed him for the information, but he was too stubborn.”

“The person he is waiting for is a Pendragon. And the girl you faced a while ago is that person, Sarah Pendragon.”

Hearing this, Ilocos changed. His nervousness vanished, replaced by extreme coldness.

“Sarah, eh? That’s why she didn’t say her surname.” Ilocos thought.

“As for the two with her…”

The strongest demon waved his hand. “I heard this Sarah; she is one of the Ten Talents. I skimmed through the reports about her. Her getting here is just her clan’s way to protect her after the debacle she did in the conference. As for these guys with her, they are just cannon fodders. The chubby boy has tough body while the handsome one got fast speed and reaction. It’s not like I haven’t killed special people.”

“This is better, isn’t it?” The strongest demon showed its serrated teeth. “And the ritual will become special with her around this time.”

The tattooed man put on a wry smile and didn’t bother them anymore. He kept quiet like he used to be. He thought, how confident this bastard to not pay attention to other details.

 “You are right.” The gentleman nodded. “The second important thing is to set up a connection to Enderian Journey. Our subordinates will enter and create an army for ourselves. By then, you can overthrow the current ruling Demon King of Manecoon Clan while us can finally get revenge.”

The strongest demon continued. “That Beast or monster, it should come from Enderian Journey. From reports gathered from County of Waterfalls and Pilgrimage, the previous County Lord’s daughter found this creature from their entrance of Enderian Journey.”

“It was an ordinary squirrel before, yet it got stronger after it exited the supreme killing ground.”

“I don’t even believe it, even when I saw its DNA is identical to a normal animal. Since immemorial, there’s no squirrel-kind of Beast.”

“In addition, there’re those who got lucky to get inheritances from killing grounds greatly boosting their strength. But no one is as crazy as that monster.”

“Thus, if we captured it, we can use its knowledge how it becomes stronger!”

 “Hence, any of them–those brats and that monster, all of them are important. The first will easily strengthen our forces by only using short time and resources. While the latter is a long-term investment.” The gentleman wiped his bald head, looking foolish.

“We got everything, gentlemen. Only the execution. How about this… let’s do it tomorrow at noon? Neither too early nor late for the ritual, yeah?”

“Glem Moonsear, you go for the little boy. As for you, Ilocos, we can use your daughter.”

Everyone had a glint in their eyes. Only the strongest demon lowered his head. An unknown gleam flashed in his eyes.

…

“You shouldn’t done that.” Tobirane scolded the lying creature on the ground. The latter rolled its eyes. It then crawled before jumping towards a tree.

The incident yesterday bugged Tobirane greatly. Thus, he had imperfect sleep thinking how to persuade this creature and also to say sorry to Karmen.

“She is my friend, and you scared her!” The little boy shouted. Alas, the creature hid itself with its tail.

“You even injured her friends.” Tobirane, Tob for short, felt downcast. He cast a look on his unconcern guardian.

“I hate you. Do you know? All we did is to come and go from place to place. I am human but I have to hide in forest, mountains or sort of secluded places. Why do we need to hide, anyway?”

“I also have my own thoughts.” The creature only purred in response. Tob knew that the former was in the process of falling asleep.

“Please! Don’t go against my way this time!” The boy shouted.

Tonyo opened a single eye. In that moment, it imagined a figure superimposing to that boy. Same face. And also both longed for their freedom.

Though Tonyo shrugged. It felt drowsiness sinking him to fairytale land. It had been guarding the boy all night, and this was the only time it could sleep.

Moreover, Tonyo felt this brat was in the safe hands when thought about the kind Karmen and the strong trio.

Tob calmed down after seeing no reaction from the opposite. He tiptoed while testing the waters. “I’m going to her.”

“I’m really going.”

“Hey, I’m going now!” Yet no response either. But this made the boy sighed in relief. He ran, knowing that his guardian wouldn’t restrict him this time.

“I will say sorry for what happened previously.”

…

Just a simple instance.

None the wiser predicted a single instant Tonyo let go of Tobirane could devolved into a something… darker. All of them became pawns in the hands of the fickle fate.

Kingdoms rose and fell. Races sprouted and thinned, a few even went to extinct.

Yet, only one race continued to thrive. The evil spawns called Evils. Existed as long as time itself.

Or it was possibly an extravagant word for themselves to be called a race. A bunch of mongrels, perhaps the apt name.

Their origin was unknown. Why they became like that or were they born like that, the preexisting question weighing in everyone’s mind.

Like an invisible blade hanging over their heads. Each splash of blood from a head filled with despair would be a delicacy. Fear had been the key part of a true meal.

A meal that granted them with pleasure… and also power!

And they would do everything in order to achieve this.

Hence the reason Venerables, Demon Kings, Supremes and Demon Emperor became important in the hearts of many. It stabilized their mind and cleansed the fear inside them.

The fear of unknown. And the unknowable called Evils.

And amid of Evil outbreaks, one stood out. She might not be the strongest. Not the brightest nor steeliest heart.

But she had the most vicious mind!

Vengeful. Corrupted. Striving to be the personification of evil.

She who controlled fate. A bitch from every races’ words. And a fearsome Evil to all!

A controller, manipulative woman, judging everyone’s outcome with a single string and considered weaver of all fate streams.

While their directions had infinite possibilities—but with her monitoring everything… it became a cooking show just for her likings!

Impossible to kill and escape. And one who live for as long as everyone could remember.

Far longer than other Evils.

Thus, her greatest trait wouldn’t be her powers but her experience.

Because of that, she had created miracles far from anyone’s imagination.

In fact, people likely believed in her than the so-called god, Mother Ani!

From the beginning? Or was it along the passage of time? They didn’t know where she came from or how other Evils appeared to be. They were just there. And she was there, heralding the concept of evil and darkness!

And now, she bended the destinations as she salivated—watching, observing, fantasizing…

“The story is about to begin! The destiny of the golden dragon is too appetizing to neglect! I truly can’t see your destiny!

“Is it you? Is it you?!! Show me!”

“I won’t leave you until you can’t suffer no more!”

“Sarah… Mother Ani… You are mine!!!”

…

Chapter 40 | Chapter 42