Chapter 3: Negotiation

Ding!

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[Survival Rank has leveled up]

Survival Rank: 2

Conversion Points: 10

Would you like to receive your reward?

(Yes) (No)

—

I had forgotten about this moment from my last rank up. Losing the strength in my legs, I tossed myself backwards and laid on the floor.

"Hahaha", I laughed out hysterically, holding back my tears, as my consciousness faded away.

[..??? hours later...]

I must have dozed off, as I slowly opened my eyes to see the screen silently shining at my face from above. My legs feeling light and my mind cleared, I stood up and faced the screen.

"Go to hell!", I yelled at the screen.

The screen vanished away and the moment my eyes blinked, the forest instantly appeared in front of me.

"Haha, I didn't mean to do that," said Harry.

I was staring in my thoughts from the abrupt change of scenery, when I finally realized time was moving forward.

Dean was glancing at me with a curious look, but I turned up to the sky where the blast opened a hole in the tree branches above us. The sky was getting dimmer and changing colors.

"We should find a place to rest tonight, and find some food.", I said looking back down at Harry worried.

"The pain feels like it's going away," Harry said with a smile on his face.

What he mentioned picked my curiosity to look inwards at myself, as the pain and exhaustion that had accumulated had completely disappeared.

Dean patted his arm and then stuck his finger in the hole where the arrow had shot through his sleeve.

"My wound is healed?" Dean said with a confused look.

"I think I need to share more of the story with you guys. Let's find some shelter away from here and I will explain everything I know up till now," I confessed.

"Before we leave, let's scavenge anything we can from the group Harry obliterated.", I said looking back at the blood and carnage left behind from the explosion that was still burning with small fires spreading around.

Harry struggled getting up, when Dean stuck out his hand to help him to his feet.

"One of the hooded men started speaking into a blue spherical object, before I finished him off with the arrow Dean gave me. It might be a communication device, here, it looks like this.", I mentioned as my hand reached inside my right jean pocket to pull out the object I found, showing it to the guys and rolling it in my fingers.

"This was in the mud pit of the house I investigated...", I paused, then continued, "I could not hear him, but if someone was alerted, we should move away from this location as quickly as possible.", I finished, looking at Dean and then at Harry.

Harry appeared to want to say something, but was stuck in shock as he looked at the destruction created from his own hands.

"I'll look for usable weapons.", Dean said calmly while walking towards the opposite side of the crater that began to appear.

I quickly followed behind him as Harry also inched forward, slowly trailing behind us.

Dean spotted something on the ground, reaching downward to pick up a thin sword darkened by fire, which had a leather grip and flat metal pommel.

Spotting the person I murdered, my eyes wavered slightly, as I spoke up and pointed, "That is the person who tried communicating."

Dean approached the man and stood over his corpse. Scanning with his eyes, he spots something and reaches forward to pick it up.

"This?" Dean questioned.

"Yes-" I was interrupted as Dean jumped backwards startled, while dropping the blue object.

"Someone spoke," he shared while staring into my eyes.

My legs started moving, propelling me forward, approaching the blue stone cuddled by the dirt. Bending forward, I reached for the glistening stone.

"Welcome to my kingdom, Soul Eater," a joyous voice poked into my mind, "My name is Julius Sarconic III, King of Sarconia. Would you be willing to negotiate?"

Momentarily shocked, I found this opportunity to communicate with a native of this new world irresistible.

I stretched my shoulders and neck before taking a deep breath.

"I have three questions. If I accept your answers, we may proceed to negotiate," my lips spoke loud and clear for my friends to witness.

"Very well. Please ask your three questions," Julius accepted without hesitation.

"What is a Soul Eater?"

"That is the legend known by all children of the land around the world. The Soul Eater will sacrifice the misbehaved to the Gods, birthing a towering white column that welcomes an angel of death to our world."

My thoughts were racing with possibilities of how to use this information, but to make progress, I needed to focus.

Taking a deep breath, I raised my volume slightly and stressed, "If that is true, then here is my second question. Why are you attacking us?"

The other side went silent for a moment, before continuing in a more serious tone, "Our national archives tell a slightly different story, where all kingdoms visited by the Soul Eater were destroyed. The official record states, a great war occurred with angels of death against mankind, causing millions of casualties.

The texts also mention a great hero who defeated the Soul Eater, but the identity of the hero was never discovered. Roughly 1,000 years ago, a decree was written and approved by the royal council and the first King, Leopold Sarconia, in an attempt to lure the hero. Land, coin and title would be rewarded for the person who killed the Soul Eater.

In fact, all the kingdoms have a similar decree that stands to this day and age, but the story remained a legend, at least until last night, when everyone in the kingdom dreamed of you, falling from the sky and landing in a forest with endless angels descending. This afternoon we witnessed the towering black column reaching for the heavens. We sent our royal elite force to investigate, but then we witnessed two white columns emerge, and the kingdom went into a frenzied panic."

My memory does not remember a black column in the sky when I awoke. Legends becoming reality would threaten people's way of life across the world. If they truly believed me to be this destructive force, we will need to tread carefully, perhaps find a way to dispel this legend. Looking at Dean and Harry, I slowly shook my head, then moved my eyes to the blue sphere in my fingers.

"My final question. What do you know about the ancients?"

Stepping forward a few steps, finally hearing the voice speak, "In our oldest written texts, ancients refer to the early discoverers of sorcery, predating the great war. They invented most of the technology we use today, including this telepathy stone," Julius seemed energetic.

If the people of my era belong to both the ancients and the angels, then perhaps a cycle of Soul Eaters occurring every 1,000 years has happened multiple times. The individual designated as Soul Eater decides their own future, one helping the world and the other destroying it. Did they also have to play the game of survival? The questions were piling on, it was time to focus on what the King wanted to negotiate.

"Thank you for answering my questions. Now then, you spoke of negotiations. Let us begin by hearing your terms," I declared.

A long sigh was heard through the other side, then started, "On behalf of the Kingdom of Sarconia, I, King Julious Sarconic III, would hope to offer you my kingdom in exchange for the protection of my subjects."

Hearing my heartbeat racing faster, breathing growing shallow, and lips curling, I mockingly spoke, "In the history of kingdoms, no King would ever surrender so easily, especially at this stage."

"Sir, please understand, our kingdom is the smallest and the poorest of this continent. Many people have already evacuated the capitol, and there are nobles stampeding over the commoners to exit the gates. While these terms were truthfully decided on a whim, but due to the extreme situation facing our lands, this is but a leap of faith to avoid the fate of history from repeating," Julius spoke with resolve.

My heart was pounding. The desperation in this King to save his people was showing in all its grandeur. This is a responsibility only a select few in the history of Earth have been dealt, my admiration for Julius was growing. Realizing that I have been given the power to revive history itself, I began to understand. Resolve is but a force with a determination that seeks completion. Do I save my people in a world of survival or do I save them into a world of peace? Growth of the people, growth of a nation, growth of oneself.

"I will join you on that leap, not on faith, but on the principle of progress. We will introduce ourselves as the lost ancients, to disassociate ourselves from the angels." words were escaping my lips.

"Please, let us meet to finalize the negotiation. I do not have the personnel to hold a banquet, but we will welcome you to the royal castle," Julius pleaded.

"Very well. We are near a wide river… About fifty arm spans in length, is the kingdom's capital near this river?" I asked, hoping my estimation of the width was enough.

"Yes, our royal force rode north, upstream, towards the column in the sky. I will dispatch a royal carriage to meet with you along the Fangua River. Last contact with my forces was further north at the Sartoh Bridge, however, further south is the Leopold Bridge where you may rendezvous with my men," Julius calmly offered.

"Then, I will meet you soon. Remember, we come in peace, but will defend ourselves," I ended the conversation and placed the stone in my left pocket.

"How do you all feel about a warm meal and a hot bath?" I joked, turning to find Dean with his arms full of bows, arrows and what looks like two swords.

Harry was squatting down staring at the decapitated head of a horse that had been crushed. Concerned, I asked, "Harry, are you going to be fine?"

"Yes, I really want to learn more about this world's magic! This is a dream come true. I never understood the carnage it was capable of creating!" his excited voice bringing him back to life.

"We will have time, so please research what you can," I shared my enthusiasm with him.