2 The Second Brother

22nd of June, Year 3321 - on the opposite side of the world. "And so there i was... 8 billion gold coins in my purse, i was the richest man in the country!" A plump man stood atop a pedestal dressed in humble leather robes as he gestured towards those passing by, attempting to draw in anybody who would listen to his tall tales. "I had known the dangers of bringing my fortune into the ascension dungeon due to it changing locations at random, so i took precautions by burying it outside in the ground before i went in... but who would've known that precisely where i buried it was where the dungeon moved to! Right on top of it!" The plump man continued ranting. The plump man was quite well known throughout the town of Waldorf. Every day he would shout into the street, telling tales of either some heroic deed he once accomplished or some great misfortune he once was met with. Nobody in the town believed his stories - they all assumed he was making them up for the sake of receiving tips, which some people did give, but whenever asked, the plump man would swear to the ends of the earth that he was telling the truth. Still, nobody believed him. "Whaddya mean? It's true! I buried the money there! It's still there to this day waiting for someone to dig it up!" The plump man pleaded to another passerby who scoffed at him as they tossed a few copper coins into his can. The plump man grinned and bowed, "Thanks for your contribution!" The plump man shook his can to ascertain the contents. "Hmmm, a little short... I'll need to dig deep if i'm going to get enough for the cake on sale today!" The coconut cake sold by his favorite bakery was only available a few months out of the year, and it was by far his favorite snack. Due to the owner receiving quite a hefty stock of supplies this year, it was on sale currently. He waved towards the crowd as they walked by, beckoning them to come closer. "Gather 'round! I've just remembered one of my adventures, never told before! A new adventure! I'll only be telling it this once, so hurry up!" A few curious onlookers wandered in. Some of them were new to town and weren't aware of the plump man's reputation, therefore having their interest piqued by his advertisements, while others simply had some free time on their hands and were willing to be entertained. "Great! A buncha smart people here, i can tell... let me tell you about how i was once the leader of the great academy at the capital city!" The plump man grinned - he had been saving this one. The crowd stirred; this was indeed a story they had never heard before, although those who were used to the plump man's stories were not surprised by how grand his claims were. Leader of the famous academy? Th academy was where the top elites of the country were trained, many of them going on to become high ranking generals in the countries armies, so how could a random jester have once been the leader of such a prestigious institution? Impossible... "So lets begin... although i said i was a leader, the truth is... I was actually the academy founder!" The plump man smirked. The crowd jeered. Founder of the legendary warrior's academy? Even for the plump man this was too ridiculous... They were used to him grossly exaggerating the truth, but a claim such as this was not even entertaining - it was downright ridiculous. How could he have been the founder? Although it was true nobody knew who exactly the founder was, the warrior's academy was founded over 2,000 years ago! Some of the onlookers who had heard his stories before became annoyed at this new outrageous claim got up and started to leave. "I don't have time for this, i'd rather be pulling my own cock than listening to his shit..." one onlooker lamented. The crowd chuckled at the comment as others expressed their agreement. "Hold up, it's true! Let me explain!" The plump man pleaded. He would need to keep them interested if he was going to get enough money for the on-sale cake today. Just when the plump man was starting to panic, out of the corner of his eye, he noticed something. A women in a skintight black dress rounded the corner. While the plump man was thought to be a dense buffoon, he was actually quite observant of his surroundings, and was especially cognizant of that which was beyond normal. He had become accustomed to seeing this women wander the marketplace every day since he began living here over 10 years ago. Her name was Erica and she seemed like an exceedingly normal human being. The plump man, however, knew better. Erica certainly wasn't the most beautiful women in Waldorf, but she possessed an aura that made the plump man's knees grow weak whenever he saw her, as if there was something much deeper to her. Throughout the plump man's long life, he had never known such elation. That being said, he never approached her and merely watched from afar... Although the plump man seemed naive of the real world, he had been through more life and death struggles than anybody in the entire country. He knew when someone was beyond normal. Even so, the plump man normally would not spare a second glance, despite the intent emanating from her. What peaked his interest, however, was the fact that today she emanated an aura fraught with panic. She was anticipating something that had her on edge... Despite the plump man's humble living, he had been through a lot in his long life... he knew that people lived their own lives for their own goals, and ultimately, it has nothing to do with him. Nevertheless, the plump man grew anxious. Still, the plump man carried on. "It has nothing to do with me..." he thought as he shook his head. He had learned that the ultimate reality of life was that no small action had any lingering effect on the outcome of the grandiose nature of the world. He continued on with his story as some spectators left, hurling insults at the plump man for his grand claims, while others took it as no more than entertainment and gladly chucked a few copper coins at him as they left. "Whoooaa baby, looks like we've got more than enough for that cake! Off we go!" The plump man exclaimed to himself giddily as he wandered off down an alley towards his favorite bakery. ... "Based on my intel, the gate will open within the next 2 hours..." "Where are The Five? Are they in the city?" "Only three of them... Damian, Christopher and Marc are aside the king while the other two are out on mission..." "At least Marc is here, the strongest of The Five.. but will they be enough?" The Five were the king's personal bodyguards, the five strongest warriors in the country. Every 10 years a battle Royale type tournament would be held where the top 5 fighters would be selected as The Five, the strongest in the country, and would be given an opportunity to serve alongside the king and live in luxury. The group talking was the women and her accomplices the plump man had noticed previously. The plump man also had an extremely keen sense of hearing which was sharpened over his vast experiences, so he could not help but overhear their discussion. Although he didn't look like the sharpest tool in the shed, the plump man was no fool. He easily deduced that the group had some intel regarding a calamity that was about to occur. "If we don't push Him back here, this will be the end of this country... the Demon Lord will reign supreme and the age of darkness will begin once again." One of the lackeys grumbled with dismay. The plump man's face grew grim. The Demon Lord? It had been over a thousand years since that fellow last appeared, so why now? "The traitors who awakened him will be quite powerful as well... the king ignored our warnings, but we must defeat them... this is what we've been training for and is ultimately our duty as members of the Wells Clan. "The Wells Clan?" The plump man muttered... The Wells Clan was one of the top clans in the country who had, in the past, often comprised of members of The Five. In recent years, however, they had declined due to a particular calamity. That being said, they were always known as being the most righteous of the top clans and were widely respected due to their integrity and devotion. "As heir to the head of the Wells Clan, I, Erica Wells, vow to stop the Demon Lord on his advance to this city whatever it takes..." The other members of her party expressed their agreement. The plump man could tell they all must be elite warriors of the clan. The plump man sighed... "What shall i do..." he muttered to himself. The plump man had been through a lot. He had encountered victory, but also suffered many defeats, betrayals and heartbreaks, to the point where he no longer had anything grounding him to this world, including the human will to live. A man who is broken is no longer a man, but a shell. He decided to carry on with his day. The plump man had learned that the will of the universe was nothing for him to interfere with. After the life he had lived, the plump man saw himself as an observer, very different from his brother who took action whenever possible... ... 2 hours later The plump man was happily munching away on his cake when he heard the first screams begin to echo throughout the capital. "Guess it's starting..." he grumbled. As an observer, although the plump man never got involved in worldly affairs, he considered it his duty to at least witness the events that were unfolding, no matter how insignificant they were. The plump man jumped high into the sky and landed on a clocktower, the tallest point of the city. Due to his superior eye of discernment, he could easily tell what was happening even tens of miles away. Hundreds of thousands of demons were advancing on the city. It was likely they had come out of a portal of some sort, as there was no other way an army that large would be able to approach unnoticed for so long. A small militia was forming a barricade along the city's gates while a larger army was forming around the center of the city where the king was located. The militia was only comprised of a few thousand men. Against the hundreds of thousands of demons, it was clear they stood no chance and were merely stationed there as sacrifices to delay the horde. Waldorf was a corrupt country. In the kingdom of Waldorf it was required that every male serve mandatory military service. Although it was mandatory, it was far from equal. It was common practice for the rich nobels to pay to have their children take a position in the backlines, safe behind the walls, while the poor peasants were shoved into the front lines. That being said, the weakest member of The Five, Damian, was in the front lines, which served to give the peasants destined to die, hope lest they fight as hard as they could. The plump man knew better. He had been in this kingdom long enough to know its true nature. The only reason Damian was there was the keep people from deserting. "Poor saps..." the plump man grimaced. The fighting began. Hundreds of soldiers were dying every minute as they were ordered to hold out as long as possible. The plump man estimated they would not last more than a few more minutes... Then he saw her. Erica. She was in the front lines of the militia killing dozens of demons with every swing of her sword. She was quite talented, as expected of a member of the Wells Clan, but why was she in the front lines? Surely a member of a prestigious clan would be permitted to stand in the backlines rather than the most dangerous frontline. It was clear she was on her last legs of life as her entire body became more and more bloodied. The plump man's heart pulsed faster than normal. It had been over a thousand years since he interfered in worldly affairs. He had seen countless calamities occur in the world of men, so why only now was he feeling remorse? As Erica was struck with a blade from one of the demons, the reason became clear. She reminded him of someone from his past. He could not bare to see her die... not again. The plump man took off with a leap and in a matter of seconds he covered a distance of over 10 miles and he was in front of the battlefield and the demon who had just struck Erica dissipated into ash. He looked back at Erica. It was clear this was not the only mortal wound she had suffered. Her inner Ki was in disarray due to the demonic poison that their weapons were laced with. "I see they're still using the same old dirty tricks..." the plump man scoffed. "You..." Erica exclaimed in bewilderment. Even she knew who the plump man was due to his large reputation. The plump man turned around slightly and smiled. "The brave are sent to die while the cowardly take advantage of the highest chances of survival... this country has no right to carry on as it is, and it would likely be better to let it be destroyed in order to be reborn, so what am i doing saving it, i wonder..." the plump man said. The plump man looked towards the sky... he had made his decision. "You would probably do the same thing, wouldn't you, brother?" The King and the remaining members of The Five were observing from afar. "Who is that man?" The King asked. "Just a jester, my lord, although it appears he possesses at least some skill in combat." Marc, leader of The Five, chuckled. It was clear he did not think much of the plump man. As Marc's casual chuckle ended, a huge burst of flame erupted on the front lines, threatening to engulf even the inner portions of the city itself. Panicking, the two members of the Five channeled their Ki and created a barrier around the inner army. "What was that?" Asked the King. As the smoke cleared, 90% of the front lines had been obliterated in that one blast, including Damian of The Five, to the point that all that remained of him was his locket with the number "5" on it. "This..." uttered the King. "It's him... the Demon Lord." Exclaimed the plump man. The Demon Lord ascended onto the battlefield. On the outside, he looked like a normal human man with bright red hair. What gave him away, however, was his dark red eyes that struck despair into whoever dared to look into them. "I sensed a powerful presence here so i headed over as soon as possible, assuming that maybe all of The Five had gathered, but alas, it was only one... and the weakest at that! Not even a challenge..." the Demon Lord chuckled as he picked up the locket with the number "5" on it. "The Demon Lord's power is beyond anything we ever imagined... can you defeat him, Marc?" The King asked as he looked toward his strongest warrior. Marc's face was pale. "Not even if i trained for a thousand years..." he whimpered. The King had anticipated this response. He turned to his generals and began barking orders. "Gather all the nobility in the inner city and evacuate them as far to the south as possible. We are doomed here. We must preserve the legacy of this kingdom through those who are most dedicated to it. Send another peasant militia to the front lines to delay them further. Tell them we need more time for the main forces to gather. it is their honor to die for the kingdom!" "Yes, my lord!" On the battlefield... The plump man, upon seeing the Demon Lord, knew the kingdom was doomed. He had expected the remaining members of The Five to rush to the front lines to stall the Demon Lord in order for the people to evacuate, but they never showed. "Damn them..." he muttered. They were clearly running away themselves. The Demon Lord landed right in front of the plump man. "You..." he spat in disdain. "Hello, Lucifer... it's been a while. 1200 years, if i had to guess?" The plump man smiled. "I'm significantly stronger than i was back then... and with your brother gone, there's no chance of you defeating me again." Demon Lord grinned. The Demon Lord began transforming. His body mutated and he grew over 20 meters in height. The power he emanated was so hot that even the demons closest to him, which held extremely high resistance to fire, were set ablaze. The sight of even demons being burned to death was enough to cause a normal man to stop breathing entirely. He plump man remained stoic as ever. "This world really never changes... there will always be fools who know not their place..." The plump man drew his fist back. "You dare not draw your legendary weapon against ME? HAH. YOU WILL REGRET THAT!" The Demon Lord harrumphed. "You aren't worthy..." the plump man calmly uttered under his breath. As the plump man took a deep breath, it felt like the majority of oxygen in the vicinity was sucked out of the air. The remaining members of the militia collapsed immediately due to the pressure. The plump man thrust his fist forward. The landscape changed. Every forest, river, gorge, and mountain for a hundred miles in the direction of his thrust was flattened immediately. The Demon Lord's eyes widened as the blast shot towards him. "Un...believable..." he whimpered as he, as well as the rest of his army, disintegrated into nothingness within seconds. The plump man turned around and calmly walked towards Erica. He stretched his hand out towards her. She winced, fearing he would destroy her as well, but suddenly she felt a warmth overflowing throughout her body. The demon poison was being sucked out. She looked up as the plump man smiled down at her. Suddenly, three individuals landed down next to the plump man. It was the King and the two members of The Five. "Splendid! Incredible! Thank you for defeating the Demon Lord and saving this kingdom..." the King exclaimed with a goofy smile on his face. The plump man stared ahead, this expression devoid of emotion. "*cough* well, it is only appropriate that i reward you accordingly. How about this? I will bestow upon you the position of leader of The Five. I imagine none of the other members will disagree after witnessing your strength. You'll have access to the finest accommodations and you can say goodbye to your humble lifestyle... what do you say?" The plump man slowly walked towards the King, his expression still stoic as ever. "W-what are you doing? Do you accept my offer or not?" The King asked nervously. "... my brother always said that true power is the ability to protect those who are unable to protect themselves. As a King, you planned to abandon your country and the people within it due to your own cowardice. You didn't care at all for those peasants in the front lines who likely worked harder every day to perfect their craft than you ever have for anything in your entire life. You pass judgement on others while endlessly avoiding the judgement day of your own. You eat from a silver spoon while ignoring those that eat from the dirt. You have failed as a King, and this, i cannot forgive." Before anybody even had time to contemplate what the plump man had said, the king's head slowly fell off of his chest. The strike was as quick as lightning, if not faster, and it left the members of The Five with sweat dripping down their necks in fear. The plump man turned towards the two members of The Five. "You, as members of The Five, the strongest warriors in these lands, hold a responsibility to protect those weaker than yourselves. Instead, you lived a life of arrogance and greed as you followed the orders of this King simply because of the benefits that came along with it. You are not true warriors and you are equally as guilty. That being said, it is undeniable that you both have inevitably saved some lives in your time, therefore i will give you honorable deaths." Marc, the leader's, eyes widened in fright. "W-wai-" The two members were stabbed cleanly through their hearts and they died instantly as the plump man's fingers dripped with blood. It was considered an honorable warrior's death to be stabbed in the heart. While the plump man had succeeded in ridding the country of an unjust and corrupt king, the reality was that he had also created a power vacuum, which could potentially be much more dangerous. The plump man had picked many kings through his time. He knew who was just and who was not, as well as what was needed to rule a land. He turned towards Erica, who was still standing in shock as the events around her unfolded. Erica was from a prodigious clan, but she still willingly put herself onto the front lines while she could have easily sat back in safety. She also possessed the strength, as she demonstrated holding on the front lines for so long, that was needed to cement her position. In time, she would only get stronger. The plump man nodded. If Erica was even 1/100 as impressive as the one he knew in his past, she would do just fine. Perhaps it was because she shared the same name as the one he once knew... The plump man cleared his throat and relayed this news to everybody in the kingdom. His voice was not particularly loud, but it echoed far and wide, across every mountain and through every valley as if it was coming from the will of the heavens themselves. "You will be Queen of this land. Rule justly and never forget where you came from, nor those who you protect." The plump man commanded as he turned away. "Wait! I want you to be one of my generals and help me... i'm too new to this, i fear i'll run astray and bring ruin to the land." Erica pleaded. The plump man could see sincerity in her eyes. Suddenly, the skies rumbled. The sound was louder than any thunder anybody had ever heard. The rumble held a certain melody to it that seemed to sink deep into ones very essence of being. Many peasants took it as an acknowledgment from the heavens towards their new Queen. The plump man, however, knew this was not so. "Brother, i see you have revealed yourself as well... i guess it's time for us to re-unite..." the plump man sighed. The plump man began to walk away, undoubtedly about to begin an adventurer grander than any one another has encountered. "Wait! At least tell us your name..." Erica asked. The plump man grinned. "You can just call me Matt." ... Years later, Queen Erica erupted a monument with an image of the plump man in the center of their royal palace that was bigger than the palace itself. The kingdom eventually started to recover and began flourishing under her rule. The people never forgot the name, Matt, of the one who saved them from both the Demon Lord's army as well as the brutal king. Those who personally knew the plump man told stories of his deeds, and even re-told many of the stories that he himself once told while yelling in the streets. These times, however, there were no jeers or shouts filled with disdain... Everybody wholeheartedly believed that every story was true. His name was Brother Matt, and he is the second brother.

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