The Darkwood Forest

A few days passed and everyone was done with the preparations needed for our journey into the Darkwood forest. Syki and Meli were packing everything on Emily's carriage while Norma and Lylia were taking inventory of our potions. Berym sat on the carriage busily sharpening his axe. I helped Emily out by packing everything she needed from her house since we didn't plan on staying in Blackthorn anymore.

Once we finished our duties, we ended up needing to buy two more horses for a total of four horses because the weight had increased to the point in which two horses weren't enough to pull the carriage. Earlier in the morning, Lorey the receptionist of the adventurers guild, passed by to deliver another carriage that was big enough to hold all of us. Berym volunteered to coach Emily's carriage with all our supplies while the rest of us rode on the guild-provided carriage. The carriage was pulled by four horses and the inside of the coach was luxurious with seats that were stuffed with feathers, adding much-needed comfort for the bumpy ride. The new coach sported a suspension system to help with the uneven roads and terrain. Everyone was impressed by the guild-provided carriage but it's to be expected of Albert, he is willing to provide anything if it can help find his daughter.

"Are the Preparations finished?"

I asked.

"Yes, all of the inventory is accounted for. We are ready to leave at your command."

Said Syki.

"Hiroki, I need to get something from the house."

Said Emily.

"Okay, I'll double-check we packed everything. We'll wait for you at the carriage."

I said.

Moments later Emily came out of the house with a neckless in her hands.

"Is that you neckless? I haven't seen you wear it."

I said.

"It was my mother's. It's the only thing I have of her."

Said Emily.

**************

We passed the guards near the gates expecting them to stop us probably under Leren Baylor's orders but to my surprise, no one halted us as we passed the bridge that led to the stables. We were finally out of Blackthorn and on our way to complete the quest given by Albert. Emily had started a conversation with Syki and while the two conversed Norma drove the coach. Berym and Meli followed behind us driving Emily's carriage that carried our supplies. I turned to look at Lylia that sat in front of me. I tried to start a conversation to ease her worries about the quest plus I hadn't spoken with her as much as I had with Syki so I figured I should get to know her.

"Lylia, Um . . . Where are you from?"

I asked.

"Huh? Ah. . . Yes!.... I came from a country called Fenrok. It's a kingdom ruled by King Elvalas Nil Urethien A high elf. My dad is a high elf but my mother is a human. The problem was that an elf cannot marry a human, it is taboo in Fenrok and punishable by death. Only the royal family is allowed to marry specific humans. When a half-elf is born we are naturally more stronger and powerful than a pure high elf. It's very hard to tell when someone is a half-elf when a pure-blooded elf of the royal lineage mixes with humans because no matter how many times an elves blood mixes with a human's blood, the offspring always has elf features. It's not the case with elves that do not carry the royal lineage. If a low-born elf has a child with a human the offspring will most certainly lose elven ears and look more human than elf. That is part of the reason why it is illegal for common elves to bear children with humans.

"Wait, why don't you have Elven ears?"

I asked.

"I use magic to hide them. In human countries, elven people are sometimes turned into slaves simply because we belong to the demi-human classification according to humans. If I remove the magic my ears return to normal."

Said Lylia.

When Lylia removed her magic, her ears turned into long Elven ears.

"You really are a high elf!"

I said.

"Not exactly. You see I was attending a girl's academy for mages and one day the king ordered the ministry of knights to do a full sweep because they had gotten word that a half-elf attended the academy. The soldiers gathered everyone and used a special magic long-held secret by the royal family in Fenrok. The magic was able to detect if someone was a half-elf, they used that magic on me once my class got called outside for the check. They discovered I was a mixed blood often referred to as Elvend. I did not even know I was elven! My father never mentioned it and my mother had undergone a transformation with magic to look like a high Elf, no one ever suspected she was human. When the knights found out I was Elvend, they attempted to apprehend me but I somehow got away and ran until I reached my parent's house. I immediately told my parents what had happened and just when I had finished explaining the situation to them, the kingdom's soldiers along with the ministry of knights surrounded our house."

Said Lylia.

"But why do you have strong high-elf characteristics?"

I asked.

"I don't know the answer to that the only explanation would have to be that I have a royal lineage. It doesn't make sense, so much of my parent's life is a mystery."

Said Lylia.

"How did you escape?"

I asked.

My father had opened up a secret passageway under the house and just before pushing me in it my parents gave their last hugs to me and told me how much they loved me, and to live on no matter what happened. When I woke up, I was in a Meadow full of flowers located in the Zen Kingdom near the Twin Cliffs. Of course, at the time, I had no clue where I was. Inside the secret passageway was a magic circle set to instantly teleport one person to a random location. My parents had prepared an escape route for me expecting that one day I would be discovered to be an Elvend. "

Said Lylia.

"A magic circle?"

I asked.

" Ah, Um . . . I don't know much about it myself except that it's really hard magic to perform and that it requires an insane amount of mana to activate. I don't know who chanted that magic circle but if it was either of my parents it's most likely that they died the moment the magic circle activated to transport me because the magic would have drained their mana instantly. "

Said Lylia.

"Lylia, I'm sorry . . . but I'm glad you made it out alive."

I said.

"Thank you very much! I'm glad I got to meet you Hiroki."

Said Lylia.

**************

Six hours into the trip and we came to a sudden stop. A few trees had been cut and left in the middle of the road. The path had been blocked and we needed to stop the carriage to clear the road.

" NOW!!! "

Yelled an unknown man.

As soon as the loud command was heard by us, several hundred flame arrows came raining down from the sky toward our carriages. In a blink of an eye, a battle had started with an unknown foe.

"Meli!!"

Yelled Syki.

"Got it!"

Said Meli.

Syki had read into the situation and had shouted at Meli. A perfect decision, since Meli is the only one able to cast protection magic.

"Fortizo vide!"

Casted Meli.

Meli began to glow creating a brilliant green light, then launching it into the sky just like fireworks. The green light started to spread over us and our carriages.

"Maidens God shield!"

Said Meli.

It became clear that Meli had created a shield to protect us from the oncoming arrows. The arrows came into contact with the protective shield cast by Meli and flashes of light burst on the shield as the arrows got crushed by the impact with the barrier. What remained of the crushed arrows began to slide off like rain on an umbrella.

"Calvary charge!!!"

Yelled the unknown man.

A group of thirty horses with riders suddenly appeared out of the trees charging at full speed. Meli was focused on stopping the air assault and she was left completely defenseless against the oncoming cavalry assault. As the riders approached, Berym launched himself toward Meli and took a defensive stance behind her. His large silver axes in both hands ready and prepared to attack. When the calvary was about to clash with Berym, suddenly large spikes of rock unearthed themselves in front of the horses causing the horses to make a hard stop. The sudden stopping by the horses caused disorganization within the cavalry even sending some of the riders flying into the air. Another group of the horses couldn't stop in time and collided with the spikes leaving them impaled, few of the riders had the unfortunate luck to share the same fate as the horses. Norma had acted quickly to put a stop to the oncoming wave of calvary, she had cast a defense-based destruction magic speel to create stone spikes to defend Berym and Meli. The few riders that did not die from Norma's attack, came to their demise as Berym crushed them with his axes before they could even recover from the spell. Berym showed no mercy as he split several of the men in half sending blood spraying all over the field. The fire arrows stopped and suddenly a horde of men ran towards us with swords, axes, and Spears at hand, Meli quickly thought of a countermeasure and focused her shield between the horde of running men to split their forces and causing a bottleneck on their numbers. Meli took out her bow and began firing arrows in rapid succession toward the horde. In just a matter of seconds, Meli had stopped forty men who met their end with her arrows. Norma had risen earth walls to further limit the men's area of attack to the point in which they had become easy prey to Berym's ruthless swinging double axes In combination with Meli's endless barrage of arrows, it was like shooting fish in a barrel. In total, about three hundred men had attacked us in an ambush.

"They are Blackthorn soldiers! "

Said Berym.

" You're right! Looks like Leren Baylor couldn't hold his grudge in as we initially thought. "

Said Norma.

" That bastard!! "

Said Syki.

" I am not surprised! Leren Baylor was always one to have his way no matter what, that's why I always refused to wed him. "

Said Emily.

"Lylia, Meli scout around our surroundings just in case there is more trouble."

Ordered Syki.

"Yes."

Said Meli.

"We'll be back."

Said Lylia.

We salvaged what we could from the soldiers and used Norma's earth magic to dispose of the bodies. Norma opened several fissures and the dead fell underground. During the ambush, I took the time and evaluated their skills and decision-making. For a group of five adventures, they were quite skilled! Though the reason why Leren hadn't sent any mages or even hired rouge adventurers, was a complete mystery from a tactical standpoint mages are the only countermeasure for a party of adventurers. Sending adventurers to kill other adventurers is forbidden unless certain criteria were met and even then, the quest would have to get personal approval from a guild director but such requests are not unheard of and there are a few adventurers who are willing to go rouge for the right amount of gold.

" Soldiers trying to fight adventurers without an aptitude for magic is a suicide mission! Did he underestimate us? I'm sure that after learning about this failed mission, Leren will try to send stronger assassin's against us but we will be prepared for when that happens. "

********************

Two days have passed since the ambush incident and we were only about a quarter of the way of our original destination, where we will follow a path deep into the darkwood forest. We decided to rest and prepare lunch. Norma, Meli, and Syki left to hunt and Berym meditated on a flat rock next to the road. Emily and I decided to train with our swords, I figured I'd ask Lylia to teach us how to increase the speed of our attacks, we have power but no experience. During the ambush, Lylia Stayed to guard both Emily and I from any danger. Out of everyone in the party, Lylia is the fastest with sword strikes, most of her enemies died before they could even see her running past them.

" My lord, as the enemy approaches, you need to attack quickly and precisely, finding a way to strike faster is key. For example, you can hold the blade at an angle so that it's easier to cut your opponent. "

Advised Lylia.

"Like this?"

Emily said.

"Perfect!"

Said Lylia.

It was my turn next.

"It's surprisingly easier than I thought! Thank you Lylia."

"Your Grace it is a pleasure."

Said Lylia.

"How about we rest for now and prepare the camp."

I said.

"Yes. It looks like they will be back anytime now."

Said Lylia.

"I'll get the fire started."

Said Emily.

The rest of the girls had come back from the hunting expedition with plenty to eat.

"We're back."

Said Norma.

"Did anything happen while we were gone?"

Asked Syki.

"Not really. I was giving combat lessons to his grace. In fact, we just finished not too long after your arrival."

Said Lylia.

Norma approached Lylia and put her arm around Lylia's shoulder. It looked like Norma was whisperings something.

"You've been getting awfully close to Hiroki, haven't you? Hey, are you two in a relationship perhaps?

Said Norma.

"W-What. . . . N-No, I just . . . ."

Said the flustered Lylia.

Huh? What could they be talking about?

"Hey what are you two talking about?"

Asked Syki.

"Nothing, Nothing. Just asking Lylia for advice on my love life."

Said a playful Norma.

"Really?"

Said Syki.

"Hey Berym, if you're done meditating you should come down here and share a drink with us. It's not the cheap stuff."

Said Norma.

Berym marched silently closer to the campfire and sat next to Norma in an instant.

Does he like alcohol that much? Well, drinking for tonight should be an issue. Who knows when we will get another chance to take it this easy?

"Hey Berym, where are you from?"

I asked.

"I am from the Narrow valley near the empire. Your Grace."

"The Narrow Valley?"

I questioned.

"It is one of the few wolf-man tribes that exist in this continent. We are allowed to live with relatively high freedom from the empire's political affairs but in exchange, we must train to be soldiers in case of war."

Said Berym.

"Are demi-human treated differently in the empire?"

I asked.

"Not particularly. It's just that our strength and a particular talent for the battle is highly sought after."

Said Berym.

"What made you come to this Kingdom?"

I asked.

"I am looking for my sister. She was kidnapped while we were attacked by a rival clan called the blue clan. I heard rumors that the blue clan conducted business with slave traders of the south. I became an adventurer to hopefully gather more information on her whereabouts but not only that. Being an adventurer has a lot of merits, especially for demi-human. If it wasn't for my adventurer status I'd be turned into a slave. The coin is good and I'll need as much of it as I can gather."

Said Berym.

"We will help you find her after this mission, I promise you that."

I said.

"Thank you, your Grace."

Said Berym.

That night we had a big feast to replenish the energy we lost during this long trip.

**************

We packed everything once again and moved out in the morning. We had drunk a lot of the ale during the feast and My head hurt a little. We traveled for about two hours on the road when we came across someone staggering out of the forest.

"Help! P-Please. . . I need food and water . . . I . . ."

Said the unknown woman.

The woman that had collapsed on the ground looked to be around eighteen or nineteen years of age but it was difficult to judge since she was severely starved and dehydrated. She wore a tattered white blouse that was covered in mud and rips. Her trousers were in no better condition than the rest of her attire.

" Hiroki we need to help her! "

Said Emily.

" Yes of course. Norma, can you heal her? "

I asked.

"I-I can but in her case. . . A potion would be sufficient."

Said Norma.

Emily jumped off the carriage and took out a potion from her pack. She ran towards the woman and once she reached her, she knelt beside her and turned her around to face up. Emily uncorked the potion bottle, opened the woman's mouth, and began pouring the potion into her mouth. As soon as the potion entered the woman's mouth, her body began to heal rapidly. The cuts and bruises disappeared instantly. Though the woman was essentially healed by the potion, her body still required rest from the exhaustion she had collected.

"What should we do Hiroki?"

Asked Emily.

" I don't know Emily. Her appearance does not match the guild's director's description of his daughter but it could be that this woman was a kidnapped victim as well. In any case, we'll ask her once she regains consciousness."

I said.

"Should we scout the area or should we keep moving?"

Asked Syki.

I ended up deciding to scout the area. Emily stayed behind with the others. When I decided to scout alone, Meli insisted on coming along. Meli is very well suited for scouting since her skills allow her to move undetected.

"We will be back once we find out where the woman came from."

I said.

"Be careful Hiroki."

Said Emily.

"Meli you are in charge of protecting his Grace with your life."

Said Syki.

"We will set off a signal in the sky if anything happens."

Said, Norma.

"I'll do the same."

Said Meli.

We followed the woman's tracks but the foliage from the trees made it hard to keep on tracking the deeper we got into the forest. After scouting for about half an hour I decided it was time to go back to the others. When we arrived back at our camp, we noticed that the woman had woken up and was currently talking to Emily. Berym, Lylia, and Syki were around listening in on the conversation between them.

"Your grace! I'm glad you came back safe, Did you find anything out there?"

Said, Norma.

"I thank you for your concern it is very appreciated but unfortunately we found nothing. Meli did a wonderful job scouting and keeping me safe! Unfortunately, the woman is still a mystery for now. It is possible she is a victim of the recent kidnappings and somehow linked to them. Has she mentioned anything concerning the daughter of the guild director? "

I asked.

"We had luck on our end and learned a bit about her. The woman said her name is Rosely Fethm. She lived on a farm with her family on the outskirts of Blackthorn. One day she along with her mother decided to earn extra coin by collecting tree nuts and Atas from the Darkwood forest to sell for extra coin. Her father readied the horses and carriage for the trip towards the forest, they'd heard that it was dangerous deep in the forest but that the tree line would be safe nevertheless it was best to go well prepared. Once they arrived at the forest they forage what they could, loading the carriage with herbs, Atas, and even tree nuts. One night a tall and pale man appeared from within the forest wearing a bronze-colored armor. Her dad initially thought it was an adventurer as they commonly collected herbs for quests but as the man got closer, the campfire began to erase the shadow that somehow seemed to follow along the man's face."

Said Norma.

" ALVREN! "

Said, Meli.

" I thought so as well, Meli. "

Said Norma.

"I knew that bastard was behind all of this!"

Said Meli.

". . . Now we just have to figure out where Alvren came from. . . "

I said.

Easy for me to say but we have no clue or any information on Alvren's origin or the kidnappings for that matter. The only lead we have is that the answer lies inside the Darkwood forest. I guess we have no choice but to walk into the forest blindly. Emily and I should be able to fight any foe that may challenge us but Syki and the rest don't have overpowered sets of armor as we do. Speaking of which, ever since putting this Armor on, I feel different. Now that I think about it, I haven't even checked my adventurer menu window! I think I last checked it once when I as talking to Syki. I totally forgot about it! I wonder if Emily has checked hers out? Well, I guess I'll check mine out once we finish preparations to camp out for the night.

**************

It was night already, I was sitting by the roaring fire because it was a cold night. I had instructed everyone to sleep early since we would be exploring deeper into the forest in the morning. If we run into trouble we need to be at full strength! As promised to me earlier today, I decided to check my stats out since I had free time on my hands.

[Adventures Guild of Ercas]

[Hiroki Yukito]

[Age 17]

[Level 2350]

[Platinum Rank]

[Announcement: Congratulations! 11 New Skills Acquired!, Level Up!, Skill Level Up!]

[Skill page]

Skills available:

Conqueror of the Fairy armor lv100

Health regeneration lv50

Magic restoration lv50

The cursed blade of the Dark king lv100

The stamina of the Leth lv50

King's blood lv100

Ice magic resistance lv34

Flame magic resistance lv33

The pressure of extreme gravity lv3

Strength enchantment lv2

Infinite Realm of Storage lv25

Deception lv2

Leadership lv2

Intuition lv4

Greater Strength lv7

Fairy God lv20

Magic Resistance lv10

Purge lv2

Greater Creation Lv100

Enhancer lv12

Dragon Steel lv9

Dark Portal lv3]

[Stats page]

Agility:3470

Strength:4577

Magic Mana:9360

Resistance:15036

Stamina:6340]

Overpowered!.... I leveled up as well! Do my skills have levels this time? I somehow learned 11 more skills! After seeing my stats I think my existence in general is a cheat! I haven't asked Syki or any of the others about their stats but I don't think they have anything over 1000. I'll try asking Syki and the rest about it later.

While preparing camp we decided that we'd have someone on watch during the night. I volunteered first, though everyone had decided against it because they kept saying things like " We should be the ones protecting your grace." Or "your Grace should leave it up to us." I somehow convinced them to let me be the first on watch duty. One of my new skills is called 'Greater Creation' I wonder what it could be. I don't even know how to activate most of these skills, maybe I should try practicing? Maybe if I call out the title of the skill it'll activate? Greater Creation! Looks like something similar to the menu appeared but this one is different.

[Greater Creation Page]

Select Creation: Magic Dolls or Structures

Select Gender:

Select Personality:

Select Race:

Select Magic Attribute Type:

Select Skills:

Select Age:

Select Stats:

Name:

[Please imagine how you want the created person to look like and command "Activate"]

[Information Notice]

-The image that is conjured up in the mind will affect the appearance of the created person.

-All created characters will be level one.

-While resemblance to real people and races, created characters are made from mana and are called Homunics or Mana dolls.

[Mana Consumption]

:3000

I can create people. I can create people! This means I can start creating my own subordinates! My mana is 9360 so I'll probably be able to create one subordinate per day. The mana that is needed for the 'Greater Creation' Skill is a slight inconvenience but there's no helping it. It is what it is. It seems like at the beginning of the selection it mentions that I can also choose to create structures? Maybe this will make it easier for me to build my own castle? I'll definitely try it out once I get the chance to, for now, I'll start creating a subordinate.

[Magic Doll]

-Gender: √Female, Male, No Gender

-Personality(multiple selecting available): Big Sister Type, Alpha, Competitive, Brave, Shy, Responsible, Hero, Villain, Happy Go Lucky, Depress, In Love, Extreme Loyalty, √Random, Ect. . .

-Race(able to choose 2 races for a mixed race): High Elf, √Human, Dark Elf, Orc, Demon, Dragon, Dwarven, Fairy, Ect. . .

-Magic Attribute Type(4 choices only): √Light Magic, Dark Magic, √Healing Magic, Spacial Magic, Destruction Magic, √Crafting Magic, √Combat Magic, Ect. . .

-Class: General

-Skills(multiple selecting available 10 Max):

√Health Regeneration

√Magic Restoration

√Stamina Of The Leth

Ice Magic Resistance

Flame Magic Resistance

√Pressure Of Extreme Gravity

Strength Enchantment

√Infinite Realm Of Storage

Deception

Intuition

√Greater Strength

√Magic Resistance

Purge

√Enhancer

√Dragon Steel

Dark Portal

√Subordinate Loyalty

Beast Tamer

Hypnotist

-Age: 19

-Stats(maximum 1000):

Agility:1000

Strength:1000

Magic Mana:1000

Resistance:1000

Stamina:1000

-Name: Alice

I finished tinkering with the setting, and now comes the hardest part, I have to imagine what her appearance will look like. Okay! Got it! Activate! A bright light began to glow in a sphere right in front of my chest. The light slowly began to morph longer and wider, until it formed a human shape, though the light was still too bright so no features were yet visible. The human-shaped light was laying on the ground and slowly the brightness started to fade away. It worked!.... The woman I created was laying on the ground in a fetal position, she was completely nude! shit! I should probably create an outfit for her before anyone wakes up and misinterpret the situation. I will definitely be branded as a pervert or something cliche like that. Apparently my skill 'Greater Creation' can also create items. . . . all I have to do is have an image of the item in my mind first and it'll be created somehow at no cost of my mana! My skill menu is so convenient! I can check all the information on the things I create here! Using the information on my menu I managed to figure out Alice's sizes to create custom-fitting armor that will perfectly match her body. Soon a list of different materials appeared. Everything from mithril to stainless steel, I guess I can also create things out of metals from earth. . . I got it! I'll choose Titanium as the base metal for the armor. I always heard it was a very strong metal but consequently, it was also very heavy. Fortunately, I found out that In combination with another skill of mine, I can also enchant things with a permanent spell! I'll enchant it with a lightweight spell, tier 6 should suffice for now. Nothing over tier 10 exists in this world. Apparently, Meli is capable of using tier-3 magic and that is considered very amazing. A mage able to cast tier 3 magic is considered a prodigy mage, able to possibly change the outcome of the whole war between nations. There has only been one account of a mage using tier 4 magic and apparently, it was the evil mage from the story from a long time ago. After seeing the play on my date with Emily, I decided to read a book about the hero and the mage. Activate! Once again a bright orb appeared in front of me, this time, the creation happened a lot faster than when creating Alice. The armor I created, lay on the ground, it was black and had a white outline in some areas making it really stand out in a good way. By the time I finished my admiration for the newly created armor, Alice had started to wake up.

"Master? Ah. . . My Lord, it is an honor to see you!"

Said, Alice.

" B-Before that. . . . P-Please put on this armor I created for you. "

I said.

" Understood! It is an honor to wear something created by master! I shall cherish it! "

Said Alice.

"Alice, you are the first subordinate I have created, you shall be in charge of further subordinates I create. "

I said.

"Alice? Oh, My Lord has bestowed a name for me? Such an honor! Understood! I shall dedicate my body and soul to accomplish my master's orders! "

Said Alice.

"Your loyalty is very reassuring! Also one more thing. The people currently in this camp are our allies, please protect them as well. Your first command is to keep watch over the camp during the night. Kill any hostile intruders on sight."

I ordered.

"Understood! I will protect my creator and his allies at all costs!"

Said Alice.

I entered my tent and looked at my bed, Emily was currently sleeping on it. The tent was wide and tall, very spacious. Even though we were inside a portable tent, we had a proper bed to sleep on, furniture, fancy rugs, and even a log burner to keep us warm on cold nights. It was all thanks to my 'Infinite Realm Storage' I can carry anything in it, except living beings.

Before I entered my tent on my way back here, I stopped by Beryms tent to let him know about Alice. It seemed like he had many questions to ask about Alice but I kept the conversation brief it was getting late and I want to sleep already. I also told him to relay the message to the others. I wouldn't want them mistaking her as an enemy now, would I?

I lifted the covers and got into bed next to Emily. The candlelight made her face look so cute as she slept, I couldn't help myself so I began caressing her on the cheek.

**************

The sun began to warm up the cold morning and by that time, Syki had woken up. Normally she'd be the last one on watch duty but since Alice did not require sleep, Syki pretty much slept all night. She had enjoyed her well-earned full night's rest. Sleep was a luxury for adventurers who rarely got any while on quests. This was the third day with Alice on watch duty during the night while we slept all night. Six days had passed since entering the Darkwood forest. During those six days, we travel deeper into the forest looking for any clue as to where the people responsible for the kidnappings could be but we couldn't find anything. It is ridiculous how big the Darkwood forest is. The woman we found had recovered and journeyed back to her parent's farm. We gave her supplies for the trip and I even made her a dagger to protect her from any danger she could face. She had lost everything to the forest and wanted to get away from it as soon as possible. I was pretty disappointed that she couldn't remember anything from the time she was captive or how she even managed to escape her captors. It can't be helped. . . .

Lately, I've seen Lylia spending a lot of time with Alice, the two seemed to hit it off and have become good friends. They aren't the only ones either, Syki and Emily have also become very close with each other. The usual quiet ones haven't changed much, Beyrm and Meli still keep to themselves more often than not. Norma seems to go around talking to everyone. On occasions, she tries to start conversations with Beyrm and Meli but most o the time they give her short answers and it is hard to keep the conversation going. It's good that Emily is making friends.

Since it looks like I have a bit of time on my hands I should work on creating some upgraded equipment for everyone. I also want to create another homunic with my mana. By the time I was done creating the sun had gone down. We had spent the whole day in the camp without moving further into the forest, I told everyone that I needed to work on something that would take a while. I walked out of my tent and stretched. I had spent a long time sitting on a chair creating my menu. The night was clear and the moonlight was quite strong so it wasn't that dark. Everyone was sitting around the campfire waiting for tonight's meal to finish cooking and while they waited some of them made conversation.

"My Lord.. .?"

Said, Alice.

"Everyone, I'd like you to meet K"

"Hello everyone, my name is K. My Lord has blessed me with life, I'll be in your care from now on."

Said K.

"Your Grace has created another subordinate?"

Said Syki.

" Good to meet you K. "

Said Norma.

" Hello. "

Said Lylia

" Welcome! "

Said Emily.

" My name is Syki, nice to meet you K! "

Said Syki.

" Hello, I'll be counting on you. "

Said Meli.

" T-Thank you very much for such a warm welcome! "

Said K.

" K is a top-notch assassin, specifically for reconnaissance and intelligence gathering. K will help us find the people responsible for the disappearances occurring around Blackthorn with her exceptional skills."

I said.

"It is as my Lord says, I will not fail!"

Said K.

K is a female assassin class about the same height as Syki. She has black straight hair and a pale complexion, thin though she certainly isn't lacking around her chest. She wears light armor I created out of red titanium decorated with black mithril and enchanted with strong magic. I also engraved my own sigil on her chest plate. The design was pretty simple, a black crown with a fire burning around it. I engraved the same sigil to everyone's armor that I created. I also created a set of black titanium daggers with embedded magic specific to her combat style. I'm still trying to figure out how to create homunic with armor or at least clothing to avoid having to see them nude. I dare not create a male homunic yet because of that reason. I find the whole situation weird and awkward especially if it was a male magic doll. The magic dolls look completely identical to whatever race I pick for them. According to Syki, there's no such magic in this world. Being able to create living beings like homunic is unheard of so naturally after creating Alice and K everyone had a lot of questions. They have even started treating me with more respect. Sometimes I catch some of them kneeling as I pass by. I'm not used to being treated like royalty yet. . . I'll admit, I certainly don't mind it.

[Magic Doll]

-Gender: √Female, Male, No Gender

-Personality(multiple selecting available): Big Sister Type, Alpha, Competitive, Brave, Shy, Responsible, Hero, Villain, Happy Go Lucky, Depress, In Love, Extreme Loyalty, √Random, Ect. . .

-Race(able to choose 2 races for a mixed race): High Elf, Human, Dark Elf, Orc, √Demon, Dragon, Dwarven, Fairy, Ect. . .

-Magic Attribute Type(3 selection only): Light Magic, √Dark Magic, Healing Magic, √Spacial Magic, Destruction Magic, Crafting Magic, √Combat Magic, Ect. . .

-Class: Assassin

-Skills(multiple selecting available 10 Max):

√Pressure Of Extreme Gravity

Strength Enchantment

√Infinite Realm Of Storage

√Deception

√Intuition

√Greater Strength

Magic Resistance

√Hunter

Dark Portal

Subordinate Loyalty

√Shadow Walker

√Silent Air

Demon Rage

√Whisper of Elz

Touch Of Stone

√Erasure

-Age: 17

-Stats(maximum 1000):

Agility:1000

Strength:1000

Magic Mana:1000

Resistance:1000

Stamina:1000

-Name:K

While creating K, I realize that a few options change depending on race, class, and even magic attributes. The choice of skills also changes.

"Everyone, I have created new equipment for you all to wear."

I said.

It became noisy and rowdy after I announced that. I even heard praise from Syki and Berym.

"We haven't gone to a blacksmith or weapons shop how did My Lord gather new equipment for us? "

Asked Syki.

"I created it with magic."

I said.

"Thank you so much, your Grace! We are undeserving of such kindness! "

Said Syki

"A black crown?"

Asked Lylia.

"Yes that is my sigil, it represents me and the nation I will create. It will be our banner so be proud to represent it."

I said.

After passing out the equipment and having to listen to countless praises from the group, I was exhausted. Everyone ate and had a good time that night. Just before calling it quits for the night, I explained briefly what we were going to do the next day.

**************

The trees got even thicker and taller, the sun rays just managing to get through the leaves to light up our path. It was around noon, we had gotten an early start. Everyone had the new equipment I had created for them, they all looked like they were part of an elite squad that protected royalty. I even modified Emily's fairy armor a bit, I added our sigil and altered its color of it. We came to an opening with lush green grass and a stream running through it. It was unusual to find such an opening inside the forest, especially this deep inside. I had sent K to investigate a bit further in hopes of finding something other than the usual, Alice had stayed back to be my escort she was in full armor and wielded a big double-blade axe in her hand, carrying it like it was light as a feather. I had spotted Berym trying it out earlier only to see him unable to even lift it up. What kind of monsters did I create. . . Just when I thought about that K had returned and given a full report.

" Milord, I spotted stone ruins just ahead of this opening here. It looks like I sense a living being inside of it. "

" Great! Let's investigate it further. Okay, listen up everyone. This could be the hideout we've been looking for. Destroy any enemies but don't hurt the captives. The guild master's daughter is our first priority for rescuing anyone else comes second. We don't know the enemy's strength so no unnecessary risks. "

" Understood! "

" Everyone sticks together. We will have a better chance of defending against potential enemies. Lylia, you protect our king and queen no matter what. We will take care of the fighting along with Alice and K."

" You got it Syki! I'll protect milord with my life. "

We crossed the lush meadow and over the stream following K as she led us to the newfound ruins. Sure enough, just passed the trees, two large stone pillars covered in moss stood ahead. The pillars seemed to be a path leading to a large stone building. The building was large enough to be considered a castle! It seemed to be very ancient since the stone walls of the building were covered in moss and cracked. Some of the stone bricks near the top of the building had fallen and huge craters scattered the ground around the walls. Meli and K had gone scouting ahead of us in case there were traps had been laid out. I led the party until we arrived at a pair of huge wooden doors. A gate of some kind. . . The wood was reinforced with Iron fittings and bolts but the wood seemed to be rotted.

" Alice, open the doors! "

" Understood. "

The doors creaked like a wooden ship during a storm. Alice seemed to be pushing both huge doors with ease. When the doors opened, details of the inside of the building became clear. Stairs. . . Stone stairs descended underground with no end in sight. It was dark inside so I took out two torches from my 'item realm' and lit them up. I handed one to K and the other to Alice.

" Since we don't know what's down there I think it's best to stick together but be very vigilant. "

" Understood, my liege. "

" Hiroki. . . I'm getting a bad feeling here. "

" Yeah, this place is pretty creepy. We should be fine as long as we're together. "

" Hey Syki, this place reminds me of the second quest we did together when we first made the party. "

" Do you mean the haunted brick mansion quest? Yeah, it has a similar layout but this place gives off a different aura. "

" Meli hates dealing with ghosts, I wonder if there's any here? "

" Shut up Norma! You know ghosts freak me out! "

" Come on, I'm just reminiscing about our sentimental past together. Come to think of it that's where we met Berym huh? "

" Yeah and he's still as quiet as ever! "

" Hey Berym, why are you so quiet all the time? "

" . . . "

" Hey Norma, shhh! I can't hear what milord is saying. "

" . . . Remember our mission is to find the guild director's daughter. Let's start descending the stairs then. "

We followed the stairs apparently going underground. Along the way, I noticed iron holders on the walls and scorch marks as well. Torches were lit recently. After descending for about 20 minutes we finally stopped after arriving at a wide corridor. The corridor led to what seemed like a dead end but along the way, there were 3 doors on each side of the corridor. The doors were similarly rotted like the ones by the entrance.

" We'll investigate the doors on the right first. "

K opened one of the doors on the right, revealing a large room. The quietness of the room was soon interrupted by a loud groan.

" Milord! It's a greater orc lord! "

" Why is it in chains? "

" I don't know, Orcs usually keep to themselves, and contrary to their appearance, they are herbivores. "

" I think it's speaking to us. . . "

" look there are holes in the ground! Careful, don't fall in them. "

" I detect living organisms in some of those holes milord. "

The orc kept flailing its arms and muttering something in orcish. The orc itself wasn't loud, most of the noise was coming from the thick chains clanking on the stone-bricked floor every time it moved. The orc's skin was a pale green with occasional dark spots, it had large tusks on its bottom jaw, and its stature was as big as a well-built tall human male.

" . . . . "

" Those holes are deep! I can't see a thing. I'm pretty sure they are cages, seems like the primary goal of these holes is to hold things captive. "

" . . . . "

" Yeah, I think you're right Norma. "

" M-Milord. . . "

"Berym? "

" I-I understand what the orc is saying. "

" Really?! What is it saying?! "

" He keeps repeating 'They have my Family' it seems like his wife and child are at the bottom of one of the holes. "

" Berym can you speak orcish? "

" Yes milord, I can. "

" Ask him what happened here. Why is he chained up? "

Berym continued to ask the orc questions but so far we know that the orc was a test subject in experimentation. They would cut off limbs and cause damage to the orcs to figure out how they would regenerate. Apparently, Orcs have strong regenerative abilities.

" Cut him loose. "

Alice took her axe and swung, hitting the chains that restrained the orc. The orc walked over to one of the holes and started to descend into it. That must be where his family is at. The sound of chains breaking could be heard, followed by a group of orcs climbing out of the hole. The group of orcs then left without even looking back. It seems like humans weren't the only ones being captured. I wonder what's inside the other holes?

" K, bring everyone out of those holes. "

" Right away! "

The rest of the captives were humans most likely kidnapped at some point. There were 3 men and 8 women captive and all of them looked very starved, one of the women had no clothing at all. I took a simple tunic out of my item realm and gave it to her. I also took out shoes made out of leather because non of them had anything on their feet. I took out loaves of bread and dried meat and asked K to pass out rations to the group of people. They all had a look of despair and disbelief and were very cautious of us. I noticed that non of them had muttered a single word.

" How long have you all been captives here? "

" . . . . "

" Do you all understand what I'm saying? "

" . . . . "

No one responded to any of my questions until the woman whom I'd given the tunic got up and walked towards me. She had blond hair and pale skin yet somehow her cheeks retained a healthy pink to them, she was around her twenties and was very beautiful despite her current condition. The woman pointed at her mouth and open it.

" . . . . "

She doesn't have a tongue, they can't speak because they are all missing their tongues. Now that I look at them carefully they are all covered in bruises. . . One of the men had a swollen arm, likely from a fracture. I guess I could give that a try. When I created Alice I gave her healing magic, let's see if it works.

" Alice, heal them all. If possible try to heal their tongues. "

" Understood! "

" Impossible. . . Magic can't heal severed body parts. "

" So I've heard Norma but let's see if Alice can. "

Alice approached the blond woman who had approached me, and placed her hand on the woman's back, a red light began to glow around Alice as she healed her. The woman regained back her vitality, her tongue had also grown back. She repeated the same process with all of them and they all had grown back their severed tongues.

" Thank you very much! "

" Thank you!! "

" I can speak again!! Thank you so much!! "

" May the goods divine you! "

" You have my gratitude! "

" Thank you but we have to get out of here they could be back any minute! "

" Who's they? "

" I'm the only one who has seen them! They are all monsters and they experiment on us for who knows what purpose, we need to leave now! "

" Alice, K we're getting out of here and we'll be taking these people with us. "

" Wait! There are more people on the other side, there is a secret door as well! I don't know if there is any people in it but I think we should assume there are. "

" Thank you for all of the information, what's your name? "

" My name is Hilda Rudge. I was a black rank adventure until I got captured by these monsters. . ."

" Why do you call them monsters? "

" Because they wiped out my party. . . We were a party of black-ranked adventurers, we were 10 adventurers and it only took one of them to wipe us out! The lucky ones died in battle while the rest of us were experimented on. I wasn't the only one here, originally 6 others of my party were captured as well but one by one they were pulled out and I never saw them again. . . I -I want revenge on those fucking bastards! How did you guys find this place?"

" We fought someone called Alvren and defeated him, was he the one who wiped out your party? "

" No, I did hear the name once in a while but the one who killed my comrades was called Advious of the Anger rank 12th. What rank was Alvren? I know that there are twelve of these bastards and the lower the rank the stronger they are. "

" He was rank 9th. "

"What!? We fought the weakest with 10 strong yet we lost without even landing a single blow on the fucker! What adventurer rank are you guys?"

" I'm the highest ranked in the part, I'm Platinum rank but we are a party with members being of different ranks. "

" P-Platinum r-rank!? I've never met one before! They say the hero that defeated the evil dark mage was of platinum rank. I made up my mind, I want to join your party! I feel like I'll be able to get revenge on the ones responsible for killing my comrades. "

********************

The sun was setting, an eerily fog covered the forest around the base of the thick trees. Deep in the forest, a group of orcs was running at top speed. 5 adult orcs and one child orc were making their way through the dense fog. Narrowly missing trees as they ran at top speed. The fear of what they endured while being held captives at the ruins was greater than the dangers of the Darkwood forest.

" It seems someone has let loose our livestock. "

The orcs instantly froze in place. They'd recognize that voice anywhere, the voice that has buried fear deep within them. The man that froze the group of orcs was Advious Of The Anger. Advious was a tall slender built man wearing black armor and a black coat over it. He had black long unruly hair and emotionless eyes that pierced through anything leaving nothing but fear for whatever caught their attention. The orcs knew there was no escape. One of the adult orcs grabbed the child orc and hurled it away from Advious, as far as possible. The child orc flew at a tremendous speed narrowly missing branches and tree trunks. The fear overpowered the child orc but even it knew that his parents would most likely die and that he had been tossed in an attempt to save his life. Fear soon turned to a burning anger for the man who had caused nothing but misery. The momentum dissipated and the orc child crashed with tremendous force into the ground. The crash instantly broke its arms and feet and even its spin, if he were a human he would most certainly be doomed to die. The broken limbs had started to heal, the child was an orc and it possessed regenerative abilities that prevented death. As soon as it healed, the orc child ran at top speed. At the same time, the adult orcs were preparing to fight against Advious. Orcs were 3 times more powerful than a normal humans and it was five against one.

" Five heads of livestock make no difference because, in the end, you're still livestock! "

The five adult orcs launched an all-out attack on the man called Advious. Before any of the orc realized it they hit the ground well to be more precise their heads fell to the ground and their headless bodies still stood as if the planned attack was still in effect. Four of the orcs had instantly been decapitated by Advious, at the same time he had the last remaining orc by its throat, lifting it up about half a meter off the ground.

" You stupid orcs. . . Know your place! "

Advious crushed the orc's throat. Blood gushed out of the orc's mouth along with pain-filled groans. The orc struggles by hitting Advious with its limbs as hard as it could but Advious did not even flinch at the barrage of attacks. Advious thrust his free hand into the chest of the levitating orc exposing a pumping heart and then crushing it further staining the trees around them with blood. The orc continued living for about three seconds, three of the most painful, slow seconds the orc had ever experienced in its life. Advious hurled the lifeless body toward a tree, causing it to fall like a rag doll into the ground.

" Now then. . . I seem to be missing an orc child. "

" No need for that, Advious. "

" . . . . "

The orc child was still running as fast as it could through the dense fog. It was most certainly lost but that didn't matter as long as it got away from the monster that had frozen its parents stiff. It was running so why did it seem to slow down? No matter how hard it tried to run faster he was still slowing down quickly. It wasn't exhaustion so why was it slowing down? It soon became evident. . . Pieces were starting to fall off its body. Perfectly square cuts were falling of almost like puzzle pieces. It all happened so fast that the orc child didn't realize what had happened when its blood had just barely started to drip onto the ground staining twigs and leaves red. The only thing that had remained from the orc child was the head, it's body had become nothing but square pieces of meat.

" . . . . "

"Advious here's the child you lost. "

The unknown man tossed the head of the orc child that had been thrown by its parents to prevent Advious from hurting it.

" We are moving out. We are done here. I trust I can leave the clean up to you Advious? "

" Yes sir! Leave the rest to me, I'll entertain our uninvited guest. "

" Don't take long we have a busy schedule on our hands. I've already informed the rest of the members. "