Blacksmith of the Apocalypse

---------Gamma-------

Traveling on the Djinn who had transformed into a majestic lion, the journey to Gamma from Y-City had only taken her mere days.

Returning to her origin was kind of nostalgic. Much had changed from the days when the Zarkist went rampant, and the people could only hide in shelter from the lunatics and monsters that kept flooding from the broken dungeons.

Shee found a shaky order had taken root in Gamma. A fragile balance between something called the Chrona Empire and Arget Nore. Both were invaders from another world, one human and one undead.

The Rakshasa had heard of the undead hordes before she was betrayed by the people she had tried to protect. Back then, they had killed anyone that crossed their paths.

She had heard of the Empire in Y-City. They came through the same connection as the monsters. It was the Chrona Empire that had saved Delta and negotiated with Arget Nore to even evacuate the survivors.

Arguably this was better than the chaos that reigned in her time, but...

She didn't like it.

What had these people done to deserve salvation? She had fought for them, and they had betrayed her. They were responsible for the death of her comrades, her sister, her sister's boyfriend... everything she had left in this world.

Seeing the old places, the old faces... a wrath she had thought was cooled, was reignited once again.

However, she held back. She had not come to seek vengeance.

<Heart of Steel> helped her to fight down these emotions, that would only hinder her objective. She came to find information on Zarkon and to make sure that the nightmare had really ended.

With her hood pulled deep into her face, she entered the refugee camp that had been built outside the place called a Starta Village. As serious as she was, even she smiled at the irony in calling it something so close like "Starter Village" where newbies in games would spawn the first time.

But nobody would be able to see the small smile playing around her lips. She could not risk anyone seeing her face. It had changed ever since she had gotten the class of Rakshasa.

As the terrible hunger forced her to consume human meat, her appearance changed the more of it she consumed. Her canines had grown like those of a vampire and the irises of her eyes had become an iridescent gold.

The changes had become more obvious when the weird techniques of the foreigner kept hitting her. She did not even trust the hood's shadow to hide her features and kept a low-level illusion active at all times when among people.

There were many people, refugees, and soldiers. There were even some creatures of various appearances merrily drinking among them. The mood seemed good, and she soon learned why from floating conversations.

Royalty had successfully returned from a rescue mission or something of the sort.

The merry crowd and chaos made it easy for her to gain the information she was looking for. She simply chose one of the lower-leveled officers of the Crona Empire she was confident in manipulating and seduced him.

Faced with her high level of illusion magic, coupled with her seductive curves, the man could not resist. He told her everything he knew. He was one of the people who had returned with the allied forces from the rescue mission.

The man told her of the battle with the Zarkists and its sudden end. How the tower master of Minas Mar led a caravan of escapees and was the one responsible for ending the Champion of Zarkon.

She wanted to visit the place and the man even drew her a rough map, so she could find it. All for the price of some sweet nothings whispered in his ears and a happy dream he enjoyed alone, while she had already left for her new destination.

What she did not notice was a shadow observing everything she did.

It was later, after she had already left Gamma on the back of her Djinn, that she noticed someone following her. Throwing out an illusion array to capture her pursuer, she came to a halt on a clearing in the wilderness.

Besides the AOE illusion technique, she jumped off the Djinn, getting ready for battle in mid-jump. Dark poison claws extended from her fingers and the petite woman grew to the size of a 3m giantess with bulging muscles.

Her golden eyes pierced through the night, fixing onto the dark figure that stopped just outside the ranger of her magic trap.

"Why are you following me?" hot steam escaped her mouth and she got ready to react with magic if the other attacked.

"Calm down. If we wanted to harm you, we could have done so a long time ago." the figure spoke calmly, and another six shadows suddenly appeared at the edge of her magic. She was already surrounded.

No, much worse, she had no idea those had been there. This meant the one in front of her had revealed its existence on purpose. It also meant there could be any number of shadows still hidden in the forest.

The thought almost made her panic, but what the shadow said was right. They could have ambushed her any time. She calmed her thoughts and lowered her claws.

"What do you want from me?" she asked controlled.

"Our Lady wishes to have a conversation with you."

"Your Lady?"

"Princess Leana of Chrona."

"The princess of the empire? Why would she want to talk to me?!"

"You have touched one of our people. The fact that you did not harm him, is the only reason this stays a civilized conversation. However, your skills are intriguing, and your potential is unknown. You are a hidden talent. That is why the lady wishes to speak with you."

"Do I have a choice?"

"of course. To meet her for a lighthearted chat, or to meet her in chains. The choice is yours."

Her eyes scanned the figures that surrounded her. She was unable to see their level, their power... she could not even detect their souls. But she knew for a fact, they were real and strong. Terrifyingly so.

"... I guess, I can make some time in my busy schedule for a member of royalty?" she said and shrank back to her petite size.

"Good choice." the shadow's voice sounded a lot more friendly and a little relieved.

This made her feel reassured. She knew he was not worried about any of them were hurt in a fight. It seemed that a friendly relationship with her was that much more preferable to them.

While the other shadows hid their presence again, she followed their leader on the Djinn's back. He led her back to Gamma, back to Starta Village. Their destination was a small but imposing building.

After sending the djinn back, she was led to an office. The decorations looked dignified and expensive but not lavish. A beautiful woman, with a quite modern style of makeup but a foreign style of clothes sat at the desk, looking at her. This must have been the princess.

"So, you are the girl that used illusion magic on one of my people?" Leana asked friendly.

"Yes...?" she answered warily. This person did not seem angry, but the bunch of people that could end her life intimidated her just a little.

"You asked for information on the Zarkists. What is your relationship with the Champion of Zarkon?"

She clenched her fist and stared at the princess. Did this woman imply that she had ties with that bastard?!

"Hmm, I guess you don't like him, based on your reaction. I see that you are not completely human. Is that the side-effect of your class? Or did you swallow something weird?" the princess suddenly asked.

She realized that she had forgotten to reapply the illusion magic that hid her face!

"Don't worry, nobody here will judge you. I did not want to antagonize you." the princess reassured her.

"Then what do you want?"

"In the ideal case, I would wish to help you and ask you to join the Chrona Empire," she said with a radiating smile.

The comment was like a slap in her face. Help her? And she was trying to recruit her without knowing anything? Wouldn't they just stake her the moment she told them about her class...? But did she really have a choice?

"of course, I would need to know your goal first."

She was unsure whether to trust these people or not. She couldn't fight her way out. Maybe she could lie? No, she was a terrible liar without the magic. She was wracking her brain and finally took a deep breath.

Fuck it.

The Rakshasa girl told them everything. She let it all out like a drunkard. it had been ages since she had someone to talk to and now the dams broke. All the tragic, her self-pity and loathing. She kept rambling for hours.

She even started crying at one point. Leana also cried at one point. The guards felt mostly awkward.

After listening to the rather chaotic mix of stories and personal misery, Leana could not help but sympathize with the poor girl in front of her.

" If your wish is to get rid of the remaining Zarkist, then I may have a lead for you," she said and took something out from her inventory.

It was a roughly square metal plate. It was bent and covered in half-molten inscriptions and magic circles. But the outer appearance did not matter. The girl's golden eyes, slightly swollen from crying, lit up when she saw that this piece of metal was actually inhabited by a living soul!

How was that even possible? That wasn't all. From the soul burning within the plate of metal, hundreds of tethers spread out into infinity, losing their light in a far-off distance. She knew these tethers, they were what kept the Zarkists alive and their soul from moving on, despite their body dying.

Being the center of these tethers could only mean one thing! This was the Soul of the Champion of Zarkon! It was not dead but sealed in this unassuming piece of metal. With this, she could hunt down all the Zarkists left in the world

"Our seers found it when we looked for a way to wipe out the Zarkists. There is a fate with them, but we could not discern what was the exact reason. However, you seem to have an idea?"

She swallowed her saliva and nodded, trying to stay calm.

"W-What would you ask of me in exchange for that plate?"

"Just a favor and some of your time. How does that sound?"

"...We have a deal."