“How is she?” the Ageless asked as he peeked into Sarah's room, where she sat upon her bed with a book emblazoned with the title “The Devil King” in gold upon the cover close to her nose.

Next to him stood Brutus, who wore a tattered, grey-green robe about his skeletal self. A book laid in his left clawed hand, and was chained to his side, whereas in his right was a rod that formed a cobra at the end. An aura of death radiated around his body, its colour green, and came from the cracked, seven spired crown atop his head. His eyes, though, burned a luminous green, and the same coloured flamed gushed out from behind his teeth as he spoke, “She is well, My Lord High God, and was able to be restored via her Story. Though she won't be able to remember what had happened, but it was only a slight page. Therefore, little was lost.”

“Thank you, my Lich King,” he clapped the skeletal God's right shoulder.

“Your thanks are wasted upon your humble servant, My Lord High God,” Brutus bowed his head low.

“Brutus,” the Lich raised his gaze to stare into the eyes of he who was his Lord, God, and Master, “You, among all others, do not need to bow and scrape and kneel in my presence.”

“A thousand years of servitude, My Lord High God, and many more to come is not something one such as I could easily turn over.”

“You've had a hundred cycles to get used to it, Brutus, my Lich King,” smirked the God King, “but I do have one inquiry to pass.” His servant's eyes flared with curiosity, then noted the outstretched digit of his Lord's paw pointing towards the book in his wife's grip, “Who allowed her to read that Story?”

“My Lord?” the skeletal God turned his attention back towards his Lord, “I thought you authorised it? As such a work can only come from you, and no other may produce such copies.” The flames within the skull dimmed with concentration, mimicking one who closed their eyes, “Have you released any recently, My Lord High God?”

“No,” the Ageless shook his head slowly, “The last Story released was to yourself three hundred cycles ago, and another to... the Library on Terra...” Fury engulfed his mind at the thought of someone abusing his Story enough to send such a tale to Sarah.

“My Lord High God?” Brutus called out as a myriad of smoke, the colours of Hatred, Chaos, and Madness strewn throughout, enveloped his God. However, it quickly faded away as the God King calmed himself.

“My apologies, Brutus,” his voice rumbled, shaking the hallway, “but it seems someone at the Library has checked out that book and given it to her. Even though the stipulation for reading such a novel is to endure the curse within and read it the whole way through.”

“Curse?” the Lich King frowned as the book chained to his body fell away to his side, swaying gently against his robes, as he reached into the air and retrieved an old book with the words, “The Devil King”, emblazoned in gold. Surrounding the object once more was a thick miasma that caused the stationed Living Armour to come alive with drawn weapons. However, these were waved away by their Lord, and returned to their pedestals. “I do not feel a curse from this, My Lord High God.”

“Nor would you,” the Ageless shook his head, bidding his servant to return the book from whence it came. Once it was removed, he continued with, “The curse only affects those who are not drawn to the ways of Madness as we are, and pulls them in. It changes them completely in ways unimaginable, and for her to have it?” his great shoulders shrugged, “We won't know until it affects her, or when we gain the services of an Oracle.”

“But, My Lord High God, even if she is affected by it, what does she hope to gain?”

“Do you remember the fools who wished to see me removed from my throne on high in the beginning?” At the other's nod with a flaring of the fire in his sockets, he nodded and continued, “I have found her to become entrapped in their schemes. She is searching for evidence against my person.”

Brutus gasped, his jaw dropping for a moment before snapping shut, “Then, if she is really with them, why is she still breathing?”

“Brutus,” a maddening glint flared in the God King's right eye, “She is to be used to find those others who dare to defy my will.”

“And when they are to be discovered?”

He grinned a malevolent grin, one which was mimicked by the Lich King as ethereal flesh spread across his fleshless skull in order to show his understanding for his Lord High God.

*****

has successfully stunned 14 targets around you!

Stunned Humans: 13

Stunned Unknown Races: 1

Duration: 2 minutes

Karastak swiped away the placard which appeared before his very eyes, but only after frowning at the “Stunned Unknown Races”. He was unsure of who that was, as his eyes scanned the crowd of shocked or avarice faces. Each of which was revealed to be Human in their appearance, therefore he shrugged and began his next move. Of which was to use his spell to keep them from moving, but would not keep them from shouting.

has successfully caused your target to sink 0.25 metres into the ground!

Duration: Until they remove themselves

Thirteen times did he cast the spell, and thirteen times did he have to swipe away the placard which was starting to annoy himself. Whereas upon the eighth placard he began to silently curse Command for being “utterly useless and annoying”. Of course, those who were near himself could not comprehend what was spoken, as their minds were free, but not their bodies.

Even so, after completing the annoying task of casting the spell, he turned to find Puella fussing over Lupa who had fallen over with her entire body in a position to strike out with her rapier. This led to him smirking and brushing off who the unknown was, as he had already found out. Therefore, all he had to do was wait, and sat upon a chair near the counter where the children were.

Half a minute was left when he finished his task, and when it was up, grunts and shouts echoed throughout the establishment. Each desired to know what happen, but most gave rise to ask why it was their feet had fallen into the floorboards below, and how they were to escape. Though, these were spoken with more gruff and venom as they turned their weapons towards the illusory Elf.

“You did this,” hissed one of their number, a well tanned farmer who did not have a weapon beyond a skinning knife, “You will undo your witchery, or I'll have your head.”

“No I won't,” Karastak responded with an air of arrogance, “And anyone you call for help will suffer the same fate. They won't be able to move as the earth swallows them up.”

“Hah!” called out another from the back of the crowd, “I've been around you witch things when I was young, and you don't have enough strength to cast yer nasty spells without rest!”

“Oh?” he raised an eyebrow at the voice's unknown owner, “Then you must know what mana is, correct?”

“Tha's right.”

“Then you should also know the standard rate of mana regeneration,” his body leaned forward in the chair, and eye spotting the illusory Elf girl hugging her best friend after she shook off the paralysis. Whereas the one in the back grunted, whether in acknowledgment or trying to free himself, he didn't know or care, “Every ninety seconds, I regenerate almost 50 mana, and have a much larger mana pool. What does that say about me, Mr. 'I've been with around casters when I was younger'?”

There was only silence, as many eyes, heads, and bodies turned towards the one who claimed as such. Of whom had paled immensely at the implications, as he had journeyed with those who had, at a young level, had mana pools of almost two hundred, but their regeneration score had always been at two or three mana per minute. For this Elf to claim he could regenerate twenty, maybe even more? His level would be astronomically higher than theirs, maybe even more than everyone's combined, or even the entire town's.

Even so, the man leaked inside his pants, his face paled, and his eyes rolled back in his head as he collapsed to the ground. Whereupon Karastak chuckled at the loud thump, and all eyes turned slowly towards himself. “You see, everyone,” he began slowly, spreading out his hands as though to encompass the entirety of everything around him as he leaned back again the chair, “If I so willed it, I could indeed snuff out your lives in an instant from my spells alone.”

His fingers snapped as he spoke, many of the Humans jumping or wincing from the shock of the noise, “But as you've desired to 'enslave' my person and my charges,” the girls huddled around his sitting form as a maddening twinkle entered his eyes, “I wish for information. Once I have it, we'll leave your town and you'll all be freed from the earth's grasp. Sound good?”

From behind, he heard the sharp intake of air from the barkeep, and turned just as she shouted, “GUARDS!”

Immediately, a digit was pointed towards herself as he shouted, “!” Within seconds, the woman slumped to the floor as she was left a drooling imbecile like the Human outside.

was successfully cast!

Your target has been mentally stunned!

Duration: up to 1 hour, or until someone/thing shakes them from their stupour

Another placard appeared before his eyes, and he angrily swiped it away. He'll have to speak to Command about this later, but for now, business with the rest of the Humans. Of whom were quaking in their boots from a display of power from himself as he leaned over the counter to glare at the woman, “That was quite rude, you know. I'm trying to have a conversation with everyone, and you're trying to drag innocent people into the mix? Geez.”

“Um,” Puella tugged on his robe, “Mr. Kar, sir?”

“Yes?” his gaze softened as he turned towards the child, but there was still a glint in there that made her shiver uncomfortably.

“You have something on your robe.”

“Huh?” he peered down and frowned at the glob of spit which was slowly drying up. To which he snapped his fingers, and the whole of the crowd gasped as the robe vanished. Thus leaving a pale skinned, and muscular chest exposed to the world around him. Of course, he was wearing a pair of linen trousers held up by a length of twine, as well as a pair of leather boots. However, the sight of a garment vanishing just because there was a little spittle? The Humans couldn't understand the logic behind it.

Whereupon they gasped as energy cackled and crackled around their persons as he cast, “,” with an annoyed voice. Off to the right of his peripheral, 224/440 mana points plummeted down to 72/440 mana points in an instant as a clean, faded blue robe appeared in his outstretched hand. Of which was put on as he frowned at yet another placard before swiping it away.

“So annoying,” Karastak muttered to himself as his head escaped the robe whilst the rest of the room just stared at his person, “Now where were we?” A finger reached up to scratch his chin as though it itched before his thoughts returned to him a moment later, “Ah yes. Questions.”