*Chapter 121 – Let’s Go Fuck This Guy Up

Chapter 121 – Let’s Go Fuck This Guy Up

The crowd had followed them to the bank, much to Trey’s amusement, to watch the interaction take place.  The bank was huge and had massive greek-like pillars along with the rest of the architecture, making Trey feel like he had just taken a trip to Athens.  Bankers had set up a table specifically for them and looked greedily on as they saw potential big-shot investors and customers that could add to their own wealth.

Trey stretched and took another glance at the scroll laid out on the teen’s side of the table.  “Alright.  Seeing as how this is a guess and I don’t TRULY know the value behind that scroll, I’m going to lay out a couple different items you might be interested in - either for personal use or just to sell to someone else.  I’ll also give you a pretty fair estimate on how much they’re worth, or at least how much they were worth back in the lawless lands.”

“You’ve been to the lawless lands?” asked the boy curiously.

Trey nodded again.  “Yup, but most of my time has been spent in the Dead Lands of Ornthas which is where I got most of this stuff.  Actually, a lot of it is very newly acquired after my guild was raided and we took what we could, a lot of odds and ends I really don’t have a lot of use for other than to trade or sell.  Ready to begin?”

A plump, well dressed man in extravagant orange clothes, who appeared to be a bank worker, came forward and cleared his throat loudly.  “I was informed by my employees there was a high amount of money at stake during this transaction, my name is Ruver.  I’m the owner of this bank.  Seeing that you’re here to do the exchange, I assume one of you or both of you will be investing or using our facility to store your wealth?”

“Yeah, the kid will be.” replied Trey with a finger pointed in the poorly dressed teenager’s direction.  “He’ll likely need an escort to go get his sister after this too, and then he’ll need to find a house in a safe area.  Maybe a personal guard or two as well for him and his sister - he’ll be getting quite a bit.  Can you help him with all of that?”

“Most CERTAINLY!” exclaimed Ruver excitedly as he shook the boy’s hand.  “What is your name, young master?”

“Jory…” replied the blonde boy uncertainly.

“Master Jory, it will be in both of our best interests to work closely together.  My bank is the best in Dioko, if not all of Neirtho.  We have tight security and many of the local lords use this facility to store their own wares.  We have accountants who can help you with you investments and make sure that you never have to work again a day in your life.”

Ruver seemed like a typical banker from back on Earth and it caused Trey to roll his eyes and facepalm.

“What is your name, good sir?” asked Ruver with an extended hand as he shot Trey a curious glance.

“Trey.  Nice to meet you…” replied Trey with a brief nod as he shook the man’s hand, brushing it off as if he’d touched something disgusting after the grubby fingers of the greedy banker withdrew.

“Well seeing that you two are doing the exchange here, if either of you have questions about the value of the other party’s proposition I will try my best to make sure it is a fair deal.  I have qualified experts in many areas on standby to price gauge if I do not know myself.  But if neither of you ask I will merely observe.  And Master Trey, if you ever feel like you’d like to store your wealth here as well - please by all means let me know.”  Ruver stepped back, nodding to both of them and continued to watch closely as the exchange proceeded.

Trey cleared his throat and began to pull items out of the storage containers, bags, and small chests that he’d been carrying around in shadowform.  Much of it he’d barely gone over since the Fost compound had been raided, some of it he’d not gone over at all, but he certainly had a lot more valuables to spare than he’d originally anticipated.

In the end, he settled on a couple options that he thought the boy would like.  An intricate jeweled medallion with gold and white mithril trimmings, a wand, a pile of about 3000 gold pieces and 500 silver pieces, a pile of gems, a series of four of his own spell scrolls, an enchanted battle axe, and a white faceless mask were all placed out upon the table.  The Varwarp Cloak and a grimoire that Izumi had been using were placed to the side so he could retrieve the other items, and then placed back into their designated storage compartments.

Ruver was quick to interrupt as he placed the Varwarp Cloak back in a chest.  “Sir… is that an artifact tier item you had?”

Ezdeath tensed up and took a threatening step forward, but was mentally forced to stop by a mental command from Trey.

“Yup.” Trey replied with a fake smile, not too keen about people loudly talking about his wares like the banker was doing.  This wasn’t the Lawless Lands anymore, but he still couldn’t be overly careful about letting people know what types of riches he had.  “It isn’t for sale.  Far too valuable, even for this.”

“I see.  Just out of curiosity how much is this scroll worth to the both of you?  It is the only item on the bargaining table for your side - correct master Jory?  If you need me to, I can request one of my contacts in the mages’ guild to come by and price gauge that for you.  He’s actually just in the other room.”

Jory looked over to Trey and Trey shrugged before saying:  “If you wana, that’s fine.”

There was a long pause.

“Sure, why not.” replied Jory hesitantly as he scanned the small crowd watching their table.  Then the well dressed Ruver was quick to summon the mage, sending one of the other bankers to get him.

The baker who’d suggested Trey buy the scroll in the first place - for the boy’s own protection - had come along to watch and laughed at the scene.  “I’m genuinely curious myself to see if it really is worth that much.”

Minutes passed amidst the muttering of curious or envious onlookers, and in time an old robed man with a strange pointy hat walked in and presented himself before Ruver after pushing through the crowd.  “What is it you need me to look at?”

“This,” stated the bank owner as he pointed down to the scroll on Jory’s side.

The old wizard picked up the scroll and examined it thoroughly under the shadows of the stone pillars, his hair whipping about slightly in the warm breeze.  “Can’t read Ancient Demon very well.  Did someone already translate this?  What did it say?”

Trey raised a hand.  “Yup, I did.  It’s a dimensional rift spell, traveling between worlds.”

The wizard’s eyes went wide.  “Really?  And… are you the buyer as well?”

Trey nodded, and the old wizard chuckled.  “Well then, I don’t see why you’d lie to him about such a valuable piece when you could have lied about its translation to make it out as something less - so I’m tempted to believe you.  How much did you offer the boy for it?”

The wizard glanced up to Ezdeath curiously, narrowed his eyes slightly when he caught her gaze, but didn’t comment beyond that.

Trey frowned and steepled his fingers as he set his elbows on the stone table.  “I haven’t offered yet, we’re in the process now.  I told him it was probably worth somewhere inbetween 3000 and tens of thousands.  But I can’t be completely sure.  It has an intelligence requirement of 730.”

The old wizard whistled and stroked his beard furiously.  “Can’t say I disagree.  Truly, I’m surprised you didn’t just lie to him and run off with it.”

“How much?” insisted the bank owner Ruver with an intense expression.

The old man sighed and shook his head.  “Well there’s a catch.  I definitely sensed a dark origin requirement, but the 730 intelligence requirement is a bit… outlandish.  I have no reason to believe this man is lying.  So keep in mind that it would be incredibly hard to find a buyer that could USE this spell…  But if you COULD use it… I’d guess anywhere between ten and twenty thousand gold.  Traveling between worlds is nothing to scoff at, and only the greatest of spellcasters could accomplish such feats with a stat like that.”

Ruver’s eyes lit up and money was exchanged between betters with whispers and murmurs abound.  “I see.  Thank you for your time Audry.”

The wizard bowed and left to do whatever it was he had been doing previously, and Ruver smiled triumphantly at the two bargaining at the table.

“Could you go over the items you set out?” Jory said curiously as he pointed to Trey’s side of the table.  “I don’t need anymore of the items price gauged Ruver, I trust him.  He could have ripped me off and he didn’t.”

Ruver nodded, “Very well master Jory.  I am here if either of you need me.”

Trey smirked at the overly attentive banker and then turned his attention to the first item.  “Alright so this medallion has been identified as ‘Luna Vel’Jor.’  It’s a medallion that not only is very expensive in terms of the mithril, gold and jewels it is created out of, but it has an enchantment that actually significantly boosts the attractiveness of the wearer to anyone who would look upon you.  Let’s give it an estimated value of 1000 to 1500 gold.  Depending on the buyer you could probably even sell it for more.”

A couple eyebrows raised before he moved on to the next item.

“This wand is actually a pretty unique training item.  It amplifies magical aptitude like any other wand would but this particular wand also increases spell experience gain by 70% up until you reach total combat level 25.  Pretty nifty.  I’d like to think this wand would be anywhere from 2000 to 5000 gold pieces, as it can be shared among users.”

“I’ll pay more!” yelled out a man from the crowd.

“Not NOW!  You can negotiate afterwards with whoever has it!” yelled Trey without even looking up and continuing on to the next item.  “Obviously this pile of gold is something you’ll want, the most I’ll part with right now is right in front of you.  3000 gold and 500 silver pieces, the rest of the bargaining will have to be with the items.  The pile of gems has rubies, sapphires, emeralds, and diamonds.  Yo Ruver, how much does each of those come as in terms of silver or gold?”

Ruver cleared his throat and examined the gems, which were all pretty large considering what they were.  “Because of the size of each of these, as I see no small ones, I’d say they each range from a couple hundred silver to a couple hundred gold.  And it looks like there are… 23 of them here.  Bare minimum: 4000 gold pieces.”

“Thank you Ruver.” replied the Vatosis Inferna as he shifted over to the next items.  “These four spell scrolls are worth anywhere from 200 to 900 gold apiece.  Raise Ghoul, Arcane Chains, Shadow Blades, and Roar of the Banshee.  Each of them is quite a rare find and the details are written in Bhokatin, I actually created these spell scrolls myself with the help my enchanter, Telipe, on our recent trip from the Lawless Lands.”

Amongst the impressed murmurs Trey shifted over to the large battle axe.  It had glowing orange runes along its surface on either blade and was fashioned from steel.  “This battle axe was very recently crafted by our guild smith, along with my enchanter and a fire user in our guild.  We aren’t looking to sell it for any less than 950.  It amplifies your basic physical attacks with 67% additional fire damage upon impact and can actually heal you with a special type of flame magic.”

“If that boy doesn’t take it I’ll buy it,” noted one of the men nearby dressed in heavy armor.

Trey briefly acknowledged the man before looking back to the teenager.  “The last item I have available for bargaining is this mask.  It was probably designed for assassins if I had to guess.  It completely erases your magical signature so that other mages won’t be able to notice your presence when sneaking about - though while you’re wearing it, your overall level decreases by 20%.  I’d offered it to my friend Ashe here, but she doesn’t want it.  Not sure that you’d personally use it but you’d easily be able to sell it to the military or… some other shady character, for at least 1800.”

Trey stretched and then clasped his fingers to put his hands on the table, leaning forward and looking the boy in the eyes.  “Now remember kid, if you don’t want to take a deal from me that’s absolutely fine.  You can always deposit it in the bank and hope to find another buyer if this doesn’t work out, but just remember that finding another buyer will likely be very hard considering it has a 730 intelligence requirement.  Now, tell me, any of these items look like you’d want them?”

The kid didn’t skip a beat: “I really want that amulet.”

The crowd burst into laughter, Ezdeath smirked, and Trey snickered.  “Gotchya.  Not a bad choice for a teenage boy I guess.  Want to to see if it works first?  Any women volunteers?”

A young woman probably in her early twenties or late teens stepped forward.  “I’ll try it on!”

“Will it work if she’s already attractive?” asked the boy absentmindedly which caused the laughing to grow even higher and the young woman to blush.

“Yes it should,” replied Trey with a grin.  Seconds later he had slipped the amulet over the woman’s neck, and even Trey was slightly taken aback before he recovered himself as she went from an 8 to a 10 in terms of attractiveness.  Jaws dropped and the boy seemed starstruck.  Quickly Trey took the necklace back off and cleared his throat.  “Obviously this can be… well just be careful how you use it.  Any other items take your fancy?”

The boy continued to eye the necklace before shifting his gaze over the other items.  “Honestly, I’d probably just sell the others.”

Trey shrugged.  “Well you already have buyers here for both the battle axe and the wand.  The guy over there said he’d buy the wand at more than 5000, the axe is about a grand, and the necklace is 1500.  So in total we’re at 7500.  I can throw in the gold on the table as well and you’ll be right under ten grand - and even more than that depending on how you haggle with that wizard over the wand.  I doubt you’d be able to find another buyer soon, so can we call it a deal?”

“Absolutely!” said the teenage boy with an enormous grin.  He extended a hand and the summoner took it to shake with a few laughs and cheers as they exchanged items.  “Thanks so much for being honest, you just changed my life!  And my sister’s too… she’s going to be so excited when I show her!”

Trey took the scroll “Dimensional Rift” to place along with his other spell scrolls in a small container.   He made sure that the boy had a box to put all his gold in and waited on the jewels. The amulet the boy hung around his neck, and the battle axe and wand were left on the table to begin bartering under the supervision of Ruver at the boy’s request.  The white faceless mask was also put back in storage and the chests were locked.

“Yo Ruver can I exchange the gems here for 4500 gold?” said Trey curiously.  The banker had said ‘bare minimum’ 4000 so he thought to ask for a bit more.

The banker nodded, “I can take that deal.”

Trey smiled.  “Great.  I’d rather have on hand cash than gems.  Where do I make the exchange?”

“Over at the window, I’ll instruct one of my employees to help you with the exchange soon.  Thanks for doing business at the Center-City Dioko Bank!”

An hour later and they were making their way back.

Trey was utterly exhausted.  After all was said and done, he had acquired the ‘Dimensional Rift’ scroll, lost 3000 gold and 500 silver along with some items, but then replaced it with an additional 4500 gold after selling the gems.  This left his guild at about 14,500 gold and 12,000 silver.  The dimensional rift spell would definitely be a very unique and handy spell to have if any of them ever were able to use it, but it would certainly be a while before they could.  At the very least he had the Noc’Tul Grimoire that he kept in shadowform when not using it, and it could very likely teach him Archaic origin so that he may gain the Archaic attribute for the spell.  He had been slacking recently in trying to acquire new spells and he probably should step up his game.

“That was a good find.” stated Ezdeath as they continued walking the streets of Dioko towards Kurt’s house.  “It was a good deal for both of you.  Eventually when you’re able to use that spell it’ll be invaluable.”

“Yeah, it definitely will be…” muttered Trey as they rounded the corner and finally caught sight of Kurt’s place.  “Hey Ezdeath?”

Ezdeath turned at her master’s request, and saw him yawn to cover his mouth with one hand as Ashe and Izumi chatted a few feet behind them about the foods they’d acquired in the market that day.  “Yes Trey?”

Trey finished his long yawn, burped lightly, and motioned towards a corner where the walls of the outer house came in to shade a small area.  “I’m going to take a nap.  Don’t bother me unless something important comes up, and let the others know.”

Ezdeath frowned slightly and tilted her head, her beautiful features furrowing in confusion.  “You… don’t want to come inside?”

Trey snorted.  “And impose on Kurt’s family?  No.  I’ll be up before you know it.”

***

Trey began to rub the sleep from his eyes as he yawned, this time a little more refreshed - and under the darkening sky.  There was a decent amount of mild commotion around him, and he eventually rubbed his forehead to stand up and stretch.  Over to his right - Ashe, Izumi, Ezdeath, and two young women that Trey did not recognize were chatting on the rooftop overlooking the rest of the city.

“You were very kind… to that boy…” noted Talsh’Noc’Un as the huge weapon rested up against the house wall.  “I find it… interesting… that you pick and choose… to treat well… so randomly… though we are out… by quite a bit of money now…”

Trey rubbed his eyes again and loudly laughed.  “Come on man.  Think about how much that kid’s life is going to change for the better now.  His sister too.  Not having a parent is hard, and it’s not like I was being charitable.  I was only being honest…”

He began to rub the sides of his temple in thought, grinning at the image of that robed mage who’d tried to blindside the kid by telling him the scroll wasn’t worth anything.

“I bet that mage was mighty pissed off.” Trey said, continuing to laugh, and even Sithis seemed to find this amusing as he adjusted his posture and let out a chuckle.  “Can you believe he was trying to buy it for TEN silver pieces?  If he had just gone up even a hundred he’d still have made a MASSIVE killing!  What a greedy, dishonest fool.”

“TREY!” screamed Ezdeath from atop the roof immediately upon spotting him.  She waved with a smile blessed by the angels and looked beyond stunning in that sky blue dress.  “BOYFRAAAANND!!!”

The other girls on the roof all laughed and giggled to one another upon seeing her excitement and they too waved at the trio approaching the house.

“Dear god what have I gotten myself into.” Trey said jokingly with a wave back of his own.  He was very happy to see the succubus so enthusiastic about him coming back… but wondered what the other women would have to say about the title she’d been given.

Rivia in particular would be really pissed off, of that he was sure… and he’d likely have to appease her with a similar or identical one in order not to get crap for it.

Trey got up, stretched, and swung Talsh’Noc’Un over onto his back where it stayed attached to his skin weightlessly.  Cracking his knuckles and then his neck, Trey stepped around the wall and turned into the front door where he could already hear the others wining and dining themselves.

Opening the door, he saw a rather warm light illuminating the room - and the smell of food hit his nostrils full force.

“Oh Trey!  You’re up!”

Shelline, Kurt’s plump wife and the mother of the girl - Lenith - that Taen was interested in, shuffled around the busy room to give Trey a warm hug.  She let a few tears of happiness and gratitude slide down her face before wiping them away, and she nodded in appreciation.  “Thank you so much for the food!  This is the best we’ve eaten in a long, long while!  I’m sorry that we couldn’t provide for you ourselves… but if you ever need a place to stay - your generosity will not be forgotten and you will have a roof over your head here in Dioko!”

She was a very emotional woman and reminded him of his own mom from back home.  The two women from the top of the roof were introduced to Trey as Hakaza and Lenith - Kurt’s two daughters.  Taen was doing his best to wingman for Jason who was actively hitting on Hakaza.  Hakaza was just as pretty as her elder sister - they were both tanned, athletic, and had dirty blonde hair much like their father did.  Hakaza was definitely enjoying the attention and Lenith was nearly throwing herself at Taen in an overly obvious manner by the way she smiled and laughed at everything he said - all the while, pushing up against him in a drunken stupor.

Meanwhile Horkque, Kurt’s son, had brought over three of his own friends.  The young men Trey didn’t know were doing their best to flirt with Ashe and Izumi, neither of whom had much interest - unfortunately for the men.  Kurt and Shelline had started working on preparing the meals with all of the food Trey had bought; and Ezdeath quickly pulled Trey outside to sit with her while she ran her fingers through his chestnut hair.

“Feel free to invite any of your other close friends, we have plenty to go around!” Trey said with a thumbs up through the kitchen window.

Shelline laughed.  “Thank you Trey.  I really appreciate the gesture.”

She went back to work in the kitchen and began swearing at her husband for dropping a loaf of bread.

“I’m glad you woke up!” stated Ezdeath as she leaned her head against Trey’s shoulder and scratched his scalp gently with her fingernails, causing him to relax and slump his shoulders.  “Those three friends Horkque brought over have done nothing but hit on us girls since getting here.  They are all truly disgusting, and I’m not even talking about them being human.  They’re just generally disgusting.  To think such lowly creatures would try and mate with me… bleh.”

Ezdeath wrinkled her nose at the thought.

“Well I’m sorry I kept you waiting,” replied Trey as he kissed her forehead from the side.  Looking over across the just-lit fire pit - Bann, Taen’s ghoul, and Napoleon were conversing with one another about what type of meat was better - deer, pig or human.  Trey shook his head and put a hand up to rub his own forehead.  “Jesus.  Wait!  How the fuck did you get out of your nether realm, you little shit!?”

Trey sat upright and pointed a finger at the tiny imp, who - being caught in the act - gave him an evil, twisted grin.

“Human thigh has the best texture but there usually isn’t a lot of it, that’s the problem,” stated Bann as he squatted next to the imp.  “Although I may just like it more than the others because I don’t get it as much.  After all, my master doesn’t like the idea of us eating humans unless it is deserved.”

“No no, me like arms.”  Napoleon flexed his tiny imp muscles and snickered deviously before giving Trey - who was staring open-mouthed at the little fucker who’d escaped his nether-realm banishment - a snarky snort.  “I do what want.  I want want come out.  Nether boring.  Me no stay stay!”

Trey looked left, then right, and cocked his head in disbelief as Ezdeath let out a poorly contained giggle.  “You’re shitting me.”

“I no shit shit!” Napoleon stated avidly, pointing an accusatory claw at Trey.  “You shit shit!”

Trey’s eyes narrowed.  “You do realize Napoleon, that it is illegal to have demons out here… and you’re just sitting there chilling next to the fire in the open.  Right?”

It was Bann’s turn to interrupt, and the ghoul raised a hesitant hand before letting it drop to rub against his bald head.  “I believe imps are technically demons, yes, and it is certainly illegal to keep them… but there are also wild imps in this area that like to cause mischief.  We actually already had two townsfolk drop by to speak with Napoleon and ask him for favors pranking their neighbors.”

Trey’s eyebrows both raised drastically.  “Seriously?”

“Seriously.” Ezdeath said with another laugh as she leaned into his shoulder and reached her had across to drag his chin her way.  Their eyes met, and she smiled.  “Let him stay out for a bit… it won’t hurt to let him have some fun.”

Trey glanced back to Napoleon, where the snarky little fucker was making kissy faces at him, and Trey rolled his eyes in acceptance.  “Fine.  Please don’t let them hear you talking about this… eating humans thing though.”

Trey glanced to the kitchen window, and the imp started conversing with Bann on where they’d left off.

“Human meat too too tough.  I like like deer, then pig pig.  Human is no good when others taste taste better.” stated Napoleon thoughtfully.

“Preposterous.” retorted the ghoul while folding his arms.  “Deer and pig are close second and third but I daresay you are wrong, little imp.”

Ezdeath giggled at the comment but quickly shut up when Trey sent her a glare.

The sun dropping low in the sky and the red streaks glinted off of the ghoul’s armor that he’d set aside, relaxing without the added weight.  Bann looked quite different without anything but a shirt and pants on.  The ghoul was quite muscular, bald, and it was still noticeable that one arm was slightly… different… from the other one - considering they had put a new one on him after his original arm had been destroyed in a fight back in Ornthas.

“Doesn’t that grow tiresome wearing around all the time?  Looks heavy.” noted Trey as he motioned to Bann’s armor set.

“Maybe it would would if he weak like you you!” retorted Napoleon before Bann could get in a word.

“Funnnnyyyyy guyyyyy.” said Trey sarcastically.  “Don’t make me sick Ezdeath on you for hurting my feelings.”

“HE HURT YOUR FEELINGS!?  POOR BABY!” pronounced Ezdeath as she pinched Trey’s cheeks.  “Ahhhh you’re so cute!”

Trey’s eyes narrowed and he quickly lunged his head forward to lick Ezdeath from chin to forehead in one foul swoop.

“GROSS!” screamed Ezdeath with a laugh as Trey jabbed at her armpits to tickle her.  “STOP!  STOP!”

A crash from the kitchen sounded out, and then the swearing of Kurt’s wife as Shelline began to bustle about the mess.

“You two are disgustingly cute!” Ashe yelled out the kitchen window as she gave a wink to Ezdeath.  “Keep it down or get a room!”

“Aren’t they already reserved for you and those dudes?” retorted Trey with an immature snicker.

“I WILL come out there and kick your ass,” replied Ashe with a menacing glare.

Trey, Bann, Napoleon, and Ezdeath all burst out laughing.

“You don’t talk much, do you Bann?” mused Ezdeath from the crook of Trey’s arm where she lay.  “This is the most I’ve heard you speak… ever, I think.”

Bann finished chewing a couple grapes he’d put into his mouth, swallowed and looked up to the succubus.  “It’s just who I am.  Does that bother you?”

“No!  Not at all.  It’s just an observation,” replied the succubus with a smile.

“I like to listen, I’m not much of a talker.  But I do enjoy being around all of your company.  I’m having a really good time.” Bann said as he picked up a small piece of meat off a plate to his left, staring into the sunset with a soft smile.  “Ya know, even though ghouls primarily eat meat, I still like the taste of fruit.  I don’t know what it is, maybe I’m strange, but I really enjoy fruit.”

“As do I.” noted Ezdeath thoughtfully.  “Though it doesn’t fill my hunger nearly as much, it does taste good.”

From inside the house a loud commotion sounded as laughs and stories were exchanged between those present.  Bann looked over momentarily before looking back down at the slab of meat and tearing off a chunk with his teeth to chew and swallow again.  “It is so strange being back in human cities again.”

Ezdeath let out a long sigh of relief, leaning back and letting her breasts protrude in a rather sexual manner - though unintentionally.  “I wish we could stay here forever.  I realize we have to go to that vampiric city… but this is really nice.”

“BANN!!!” Izumi’s voice came from out the window before she suddenly appeared - adjusting her top-hat again and scowling from underneath the brim.  “Come be my partner in this game!  Stop being so antisocial!”

“I’m not being antisocial!  I’m talking with these fine people out here!” protested Bann with a small smile.

“YOU’RE BEING ANTISOCIAL TO ME!  UNACCEPTABLE!” yelled Izumi as she pointed a finger accusingly out the kitchen window.  “GET IN HERE!”

Everyone could tell that Bann was quite happy at the request.  He and Izumi got along really well, though none of the others could tell if it was just a very good friendship in the making or if it was something more.

“Coming,” replied Bann as he picked up his plate and waved to the others.  “I’ll be back.”

As he left Ezdeath muttered low so that the people inside couldn’t hear: “She probably wanted him to come save her from all of those horny savages that Kurt’s son calls friends.”

She turned to Trey who sat there grinning and trying to suppress his laughter.  “I ended up telling them that my new boyfriend would gut them and hang their entrails above their houses for their families to see if they didn’t leave me alone.”

Trey looked concerned.  “You did not…”

Ezdeath smirked and laid her head back down.  “Yeah you’re right.  But that’s what I wanted to say.”

“You could have definitely done it yourself anyways.” mused Trey.

“I could have.”  Ezdeath grabbed his arm and pulled it over her to wrap around her waist.  “But I know you wouldn’t have liked that so I refrained from any violence.  Even if they are cockroaches.”

“Thanks.”  Trey pulled her in close.  She smelled good, and he liked the way her soft, warm body pressed up against his.  “Mind if we go over some more swordsmanship later?  Your lessons have been really insightful.  I think I’ve already improved.”

‘You’ve definitely improved,” replied the succubus with a kurt nod, extending her long legs and kicking at a small rock as it clattered down the deserted road.  “And yes, we definitely should.  Taen could probably teach you a thing or two too.  He’s very good with a blade from what I’ve seen.  Not as strong as you in a fight, but in terms of skill he outclasses you by a lot.”

“Yeah well he had years to practice, I got thrown into oblivion and killed over and over again…” muttered the summoner with a frown and a hint of embarrassment.  “Not a fair comparison.”

Ezdeath giggled.  “I guess not.”

There was a long, long pause, and Trey eventually took in a deep inhale.  Or… at least he tried too, but all of a sudden the world seemed to slow down.

What the hell?

He tried looking left, looking right, and his eyes… were going in slow motion.

What the fuck?

He could still feel and hear things, he could still control his own body… but it wasn’t right.  Time itself was… off.

A feeling of cold and dread overcame them all as they sat around the fire.  Trey immediately sat up and looked around, and his eyes narrowed.  “Do you… feel that?”

His words were slow… but so were the responses he got from the others - seemingly warped by some unknown power.

“Yes…” muttered Ezdeath, and Napoleon stood up as if to spring into action.

From where his greatsword lay not far from him and against the wall of the house, Talsh’Noc’Un began to scream.  The scream became louder and louder, echoing throughout the city block until it turned into a rage as Trey felt the fury course not only through the sword - but through himself as well - feelings of hate.

That’s when they suddenly all saw a vision in their mind’s eye.  It was blurry at first… a faint outline of something intangible and obscur… but eventually, it came into focus.

A burning city.

The screams of people being torn apart by undead hordes that poured over stone walls like a tidal wave of death.

Monstrosities ranging in shape, size and variety - ranging from small, lithe creatures the size of a dog with canines as long as six inches - to normal humanoid undead ghouls - to multi-eyed, lumbering giants with six legs, four arms and maws splitting down their putrid stomachs.

Trey’s eyebrows furrowed in confusion, until the image shifted and focused on a solitary figure that stood amidst the masses of undead swarming around him.  At first… it appeared to be a teenage boy.  A manic-looking, scrawny young man with a crazed and sickly smile - holding an enormous sword out in front of him as blood poured out of his eyes, ears, nose and mouth in rivers of crimson.

The great-sword above the teenage boy began to faintly shimmer and glow a pale blue, and the smoke from the skull carving beneath faded away.  Markings that none of them recognized along the hilt went a solid black.  The tip of the hilt ended at what looked to be the jaws of some ravenous, faceless beast.  The blade itself was of an odd but cruel design, with multiple convex and concave curves on both sides... ending in a non-symmetrical point at the tip.  Black smoking runes could now be made out along both sides of the deep red blade.  It was about six feet in length and somewhat thicker than most weapons of this era.  Red liquid dripped from its tip to land in a pool upon the altar, giving monotony as an undertone to the sudden rush of fear... until the blade started to hiss.

Then - as wisps of pale blue tore through the blade and sunk into the skin of the young man holding the huge weapon - the boy began to change.  Black spikes shot out from his spine all the way from his tailbone and to the top of his skull in a line.  His skin began forming into thick, hard, bone-like armor.  His eyes burst and sank inward to reveal nothing but black holes, and his mouth split along the lips to mesh with his gums and teeth - only to produce a set of double rowed pointed white teeth.  His features sunk in against his face so that it outlined what remained of his skull as his jawline was emboldened.  His hair fell out,  his fingernails and toenails fell off, and his flesh began to melt.  He grew taller, broader, more muscular and by the end of it stood seven feet tall in an armor of bone and spikes.  Wielding the gigantic sword with one hand - the young man began to laugh with a fit of madness.

“KILL, KILL, KILL, KILL, KILL!”screamed a chorus of hundreds of voices as souls erupted from the blade in a cloud of death magic.  “AND SO BEGINS THE NEXT AGE OF MY DOMINION!  MAY THIS ONE BE THE GREATEST TO COME!”

The voices repeated that message over, and over, and over again… pouring across the broken city in a wave of power that shredded any civilians it came into contact with - at least, the ones that weren’t already being eaten alive by the undead horde of monstrosities.

“Men and women of Nagochus…” boomed a deep sinister voice as the newly transformed undead master glared at them from the mirage.  “A new age is upon us…”

“VORGANOTH!” screamed Talsh’Noc’Un in a sinister hate filled gasp - a boom of chaos energy shook the air around them in a rage.  The door to Kurt’s house flung open and Ashe ran out to questioningly glance towards the others as if to ask what was going on.

“NEW AGE NEW AGE!!!” screamed the blade from the vision in a plethora of voices as the undead creature walked towards the burning city.  Swarms of zombies, ghouls, and larger abominations raced past him on either side towards the doomed and scrambling civilians - with defenders putting up a futile and panicked attempt to keep the undead wave back.

Looking around with the time-warp still present, Trey realized that others were experiencing the same thing he was.  Across the street, in the kitchen, and even along a rooftop far off to his left - the people were all seeing this terrifying sight unfold in a slowed-down version of time.  It seemed as if everyone in Dioko was having the same vision broadcast to them through their peripheral vision, or through a second set of eyes.

The booming voice of the undead thing continued with the rough, raspy laughs of the souls surrounding it.

“I, Conner Orclid, Vorganoth’s Butcher and wielder of the greatest of the living weapons, announce to all the nations of Nagochus here and now that your time is nigh.  I will not stop coming until all of this wretched world bows before me, before your gods tremble at hearing my name, before my legion of the damned is all that remains of sentient life upon the continents of the east, the west, the north and the south.  All shall despair, and all shall perish.  I am to be king and conqueror.  From the city of Boikai in Yorr… this… is my declaration of war.”  The creature’s rigid bone face twisted into a large grin as its greatsword - Vorganoth - repeated a crazed verse. “WON’T STOP WON’T STOP WILL NOT STOP WON’T STOP!!!”

“Even now…” continued a self-proclaimed Conner through the vision as he continued to walk towards the western gate amid a downpour of rain.  “Your feeble gods seek to destroy me.  Agnude has sent one of his mouthpieces, a woman I once knew when I was mortal, to destroy us.  Carol Bon...  She resides within the walls of this city.”

Conner, the undead creature, snickered loudly.  “This is my response.”

Holding up Vorganoth to point at another city wall that was a second line of defense for the defenders - far beyond the first, thicker wall that the undead horde had just breached - and for all who were watching in the vision to see, the blade vibrated and screamed as numerous black wisps shot out from the blade.  They sailed towards the inner wall at high speed, and the destruction was… admirable.  Screaming as they went they tore into the tops of the battlements and found numerous victims, tearing armored knights and archers from their perches with wild abandon, proceeding on to the next one just as the prior was finished.

That was when time started to run normally again, but for Trey… it left him in a state of shock.

“CAROL BON!?” screamed Trey as he flung himself up to his feet in disbelief.  “THAT’S MY FUCKING COUSIN!”

Lo and behold… the vision did eventually set upon Carol… and it was indeed Trey’s cousin.  She stood gloriously as she rained down magics and cut down many enemies in her green tinted armor - styled in a way that Trey had never seen before.  She stood at the forefront of the defenders in front of the inner gates, and was surrounded by bodies of the scattered dead.

She was fast, powerful, and just as Trey remembered her - full of fight as she continued to tear through the oncoming undead wave with startling proficiency.  She was inches deep in blood, covered in grime, but her sneer of defiance was obvious.  Others dressed in armor similar to her own battled alongside her, obviously set apart from the other defenders in their skill and magical prowess - firing off holy flames and lightning strikes between healing one another and maintaining a defensive line.  With long dirty-blonde hair and startlingly blue eyes, it was a face he remembered very well from his childhood years.

The battle raged on for what seemed to be years as the entire world of Nagochus watched the tragedy unfold.  Swarms of undead, many thousands of them, continued to rush the inner city walls - killing and eating the defenders in mass.  Before long, and after many of her companions had died around her, Carol was surrounded with only a few others to help as she battled this Conner character - wielder of Vorganoth.

And she was losing.  Shock turned to fear, and his heart began to pound.

Was there really nothing he could do?

A mechanical voice from deep in Trey’s brain loudly echoed.  “You have been offered an unholy quest from Alkir, Mistress of Darkness: A New Master for the Dead - Vorganoth, Sword of the Dead has made its appearance to the far north of your location.  Its wielder, Conner, has ascended into what is known as a Bone Lord - a powerful undead, and commands a vast army of creatures.  As Vatosis Inferna, you must assert your dominance over not only demonkind, but the undead legions across creation as well.  Kill Conner, take Vorganoth or its core for your own, save your cousin, and be one step closer to fulfilling your destiny.  I have instilled the knowledge of what needs to be done within your sword, Talsh’Noc’Un, and have granted it the temporary power for necessary channeling.  Speak to your sword, and take aim at your enemy.  Do you accept or decline?”

Trey’s fear quickly evaporated, and an evil smile quickly spread over his face as his eyes began to glow crimson.  Turning to his weapon, the evil smile was matched with the sword’s will to kill.  “Let’s go fuck this guy up.”