Chapter 118: Another LARP
Chapter 118: Another LARP
"He’s gone."
The Guild members’ faces paled as they stared at the charred ground where their king once lay. For a moment they were frozen in disbelief. One moment their leader was lying in front of them about to resurrect; the next he was gone as if sucked up by the ground itself.
"Where could he have gone? Did the rebirth fail somehow?"
Panic as well as several questions popped into their minds, but before they could react, several pools of quicksand appeared around them, and from them came monsters. Monsters that resembled hornets rather than the ants they were used to facing.
At what more, one of those quicksand appeared just below Amanda’s feet, pulling her into the abyss.
...
Below laid a mountain of black ashes. The mana emanating from the ashes was so dense that it caused small crystals to appear in the ashes.
Then a milky white hand shot from the ashes like an undead creature reaching out from a grave.
It was as if someone were drowning in the mountain of ashes and they were reaching out for help.
Moments later a figure sat up from the pile of ashes. Their body was covered in intricate orange tattoos that resembled a flaming bird.
The tattoo glowed with an otherworldly allure. Even his hair was the same color as the tattoo.
I kept my distance from him as I sat on the other end of the chamber.
As he sat up, his eyes scanned the chamber; his empty eyes eventually landed on me.
For a moment he did nothing but stare and blink as if wondering if what he was seeing was really true.
During the scenario where I saved Lily, he saw me. He watched as I collected her core, something a regular monster wouldn’t do, and then I disappeared.
Where all the other monsters stayed behind, I disappeared and left the scenario just like any other player.
Naturally seeing this would arouse suspicion. And then to have the same monster appear before you again.
I was curious to see how he would react, but what he said next was far from what I expected.
"Where am I?"
Slowly he stood up and began looking around like a newborn fawn seeing the world for the first time.
"Who am I?" he mumbled as he began poking his face and examining his hand as if it were something new to him.
Did he lose his memory? Maybe it’s some kind of amnesia caused by dying and being reborn again.
If I have to guess, this was probably temporary. This was one of the things I couldn’t predict, but it might work out for the best if I handle this well.
Since what happened with the demons, I’ve been steadily improving my LARPing skills.
This was one of the many instances where my LARPing skills would come in handy.
"Joshua," I called out as I rushed towards it.
Phoenix King stared at me and tilted his head in confusion.
"Did that centipede just talk?"
It’s funny, in this state he looked almost docile.
"Joshua, are you alright?" I said as I approached. I was small enough to pitch on his shoulder.
"Do you know me?"
"Yes, I’m your friend, Liam."
"My friend?" He tilted his head, and for a moment he just stared at me.
A part of me expected him to come to his senses at that exact moment, but then...
"Oh, ok. I’m sorry, but I can’t seem to remember what happened."
"No problem, man; you were hit pretty hard."
Even though they didn’t have their memories, people with amnesia usually have very strong emotions lingering just beyond their subconscious.
In some cases they can remember feelings but not the reason behind them. That would be the key to manipulating him.
I didn’t know much about the Phoenix King’s life or emotional state, but there was one thing I knew.
"I was hit? I guess that explains it." he said rubbing the back of his head.
My body visibly recoiled as if I had witnessed something disturbing, my voice taking on a grim, ominous tone.
"So you really don’t remember? That might be for the best."
"What do you mean? Did something happen?"
Silence. I stayed quiet for a moment, then tried to change the subject, but he wasn’t having it.
"Hey, if something happens, then I want to know!"
I hesitated.
"It’s about your brother."
There was a flicker in his eyes. I sensed it. A threatening aura shrouded his entire being.
His pupils shrunk and his face became even paler.
Even though he didn’t remember his brother, he still remembered the strong emotions connected to his brother.
"Tell me what happened."
The threatening aura oozing from his body seemed to wrap around me. Suddenly it felt as if I were in the jaws of a predator.
"He was killed by umm... er... a cult."
"A cult?"
"The cult of Abaddon, yes. They were trying to resurrect their fallen demon lord. Your brother couldn’t allow it since it would mean the death of thousands, so we tried to stop it, but..." I paused, letting him put the pieces together himself.
"The attack used by the cult leader was never meant for him; it was meant for you. Blood sacrificed himself in order to save you."
"My brother? Blood? My brother’s name is Blood. Yes, I remember now. You’re right, I remember."
It’s easier than you think to implant false memories inside someone’s head, especially if those memories were of a trauma. I remember reading about an experiment like this a while ago.
In the state he was in, this was even easier to do.
His face turned from confused to murderous as he clenched his fist tightly.
"I have to avenge my brother."
"The cult is run by 10 commanders and their followers. The 10 commanders are all women, and they are all well versed in the art of manipulation. Come to think of it, they are probably the ones responsible for you losing your memory. They want to manipulate you and steal your power by convincing you that they are your wives."
"My power? I have power?" the Phoenix King said, looking down at his palm like a ten-year-old boy who had just learned he possesses superpowers.
"Yes, that is the reason why your brother saved you since he knew you were the only ones strong enough to stop them. But these commanders will manipulate you and try to convince you that they are your wives."
"I won’t fall for it!" He claimed as he grabbed me by the back of the carapace and lifted me up. "Show me where they are. My brother would want me to stop them. I can’t allow him to die in vain."
I don’t know how long this amnesia will last, so it’s best to do this quickly.
"I’ll create a portal."
Saying that, I turned the ground below his feet into quicksand and watched as he was sucked into it.
"Aren’t you coming?"
"I’m not good in a fight, so I don’t want to get in your way."
I had bigger issues at hand. At first my plan was to reveal that I was the one who killed his brother to draw his attention away from Amanda.
I was planning to learn more about his magic and find a way to kill him with the help of Lily, Aphrodite, and all the monsters she created.
But this was an even better turn of event. Now, with everyone, it’s time to leave this place.
Still playing the role of his friend, I waited until he was gone.
Without wasting another second, I vibrated my wings and flew towards where I had summoned Amanda.
As I made my way through the tunnels, I felt a soft vibration heading towards me.
I didn’t react, as just moments later, Dracule’s head popped out from underground.
"Sire!"
Perfect timing.
"Dracule, did you find them?"
"I did. I found the queen. I think you’re right about the drop-off being in the queen’s chamber but..."
"But what?"
Already, I could sense that there was something wrong. He seemed even more shaken up than the time when he encountered the Amazonian women.
"Sire, I’m afraid that if we attempt to leave, then we will all be killed. No, I’m certain of it."
"What did you see?" I asked, unable to stop the unsettling feeling that settled in the pit of my stomach.
It was as if I were feeling Dracule’s emotions, and my own intuition was screaming at me.
"I saw everything! I saw what came out of her body on that horrible night when the terrible scent spread throughout the nest. I witnessed firsthand how not even the Phoenix King was strong enough to leave."
Dracule approached me with a pleading expression on his monstrous face.
It felt almost as if he were begging for his life.
"Sire, I’m telling you, if we try to leave, then we will all die!"
...
Hours later, a man with flame-colored hair knelt defeatedly on the ground, and he looked at the carnage around him.
"No, this can’t be happening. It can’t be."
"Krissy, Liza, Isabella, Elyse, Frey, Hera, Isolde, Sarah, Cassie, Mandy!"
He called there names hoping that at least one of them would answer but the room stayed silent, leaving him with only the consequences of what he had done.
The Phoenix King cried as he shook the blood-covered corpses around him.
Corpses that belonged to his wives. The same wives he killed with his very own hands.
The image of their pleading faces and their last words haunted his mind.
It didn’t feel real. He prayed it was just a terrible nightmare.
"I did this..."
"No,"
"It’s not my fault. It’s the fault of that monster."
His body felt as if he were drowning in rage as he remembered the face of the monster that pushed him to this.
"It was that centipede!"