Kyle listened in as each member and person present excluding him took their time to speak their mind.
"With these four kingdoms alongside the Dezol, the Empire will not attack rashly." Said Birse as they spoke of the alliance between Esfelt, their allies and the Dezol legions.
"We'll deal with the Dwarves and Fae in time, we cannot rush something like that." Caitlyn explained as the conversation took a turn as they ate.
"How about we speak of the elephant in the room though?" teased Ch as he pointed out Birse's two wives only to be turned down solemnly by Caitlyn changing the conversation elsewhere.
Kyle half listened and half didn't, he ate quietly, picking away at the plate of pasta in front of him. When Sly suddenly spoke to him "Yo something wrong with the food there Kyll?" asked the Devil with a raised brow through the magical device.
Kyle looked up from his plate and looked around to see everyone staring at him "Huh? Oh, nah nothing wrong with the food. Why you ask?"
"You've barely eaten and barely spoke, ain't fooling me. What's wrong?" Sly asked.
Kyle had figured someone would bring it up, he never was going to hide it like he did with the artefact and the quest's stalled state. Now? That didn't matter anymore, the quest would go on without the artefact and until his soul healed he couldn't stop Scythe.
"What's up Kyll? Now that I think about it, you didn't get a sub-class did you? What happened back there?" asked Death.
Kyle sighed deeply as he put together in his mind how he would explain everything to them, it was tough for him to abandon his friends to a fate of war as he went elsewhere. "When I went to select a sub-class…Someone intercepted me using the obelisk before I could do so."
Birse's gaze hardened "That thing again?" he asked solemnly.
"No." Kyle shook his head at Birse's off mentioning of the Nogitsune "But it has to do with it somewhat." He pushed away his food and leaned back into his chair as he explained his situation, about the Ancients, his bloodline and the changed rules of the Grand Quest along with the three trials.
Karnage suddenly stood up, opened her mouth to speak, glanced around at everyone looking at her and sat back down blushing "Wait so…You weren't kidding?..."
"Never said I was or wasn't, just didn't want to talk about it." Replied Kyle.
"Okay anyway, so you're BECOMING one of these things now!?" asked Samala with renewed interest in the conversation as she dismissed anybody else who was going to ask.
"If I don't take steps to fight it off…yes I could become a Nogitsune…" Kyle answered bitterly.
"And what are these steps master?" asked Lilior with a worried expression.
"I will spend time in the Spirit world with my people, training in their old ways. I will be away for days, maybe even weeks." Kyle finally dropped the veil and waited for their answer.
"Weeks…" repeated Sly as he gazed sceptically at Kyle "I wasn't going to mention this at all but I guess I have no choice now." He sighed and sat down from where he stood holding the VCD.
"Mention what Sly?" asked Birse as he considered the current events.
"I also will be away for a few days. Liliana has woken up again and has regained enough strength…" Sly smiled bitterly "Me and Reyna will be going back to retrieve the artefact from Scythe."
Birse suddenly stood up slamming his hands down on the table "And you weren't going to mention this why?"
"Because you all have enough on your hands here, Kyle knows the same and has done the same except that he cannot join us because of his current situation." Sly explained with a shrug.
"That doesn't excuse you for not telling us." Stated Birse as he switched to glare at Kyle "Neither does it excuse you Kyle."
Kyle smiled awkwardly "Sorry…"
Birse sighed deeply as he sat back down "So you're off on your journey to the land of the dead and Sly is off to our home realm on a God's quest." He sighed a second time "Can anyone else go with you?"
"I..don't know…" Kyle replied honestly before asking Ymir ("Ymir? Can they?")
A slight chuckle reverberated through Kyle's mind ("Only one with Spirit Beast blood may, I sense two within the room you lay in currently boy.")
Kyle's expression turned to surprise "Ymir says one can…someone else with Spirit beast blood…In this room."
"Who?" asked Birse.
("What he said?") asked Kyle to Ymir.
("The short one.") replied Ymir.
"Soren?" Kyle spoke out loud with even more surprise.
"Soren?" repeated Birse with just as much surprise.
"You fuck what?" said Soren as he dropped his fork while everyone turned to look at him "I'm a what now?".
"Spirit Beast." Replied Kyle with a raised brow.
"You sure?" asked Soren with disbelief.
"So said God so yeah…pretty sure." answered Kyle.
"Bad ass, let's go." Replied Soren as he raised his empty plate up into the air.
"So Soren is going with Kyll…Sly? What about you?." Birse asked as he shook his head.
"Liliana won't trust anybody else to go unfortunately. I'm on my own on this one." Sly replied with a sigh.
"Are you sure about that?" Birse pressed on with a sceptical expression.
"I asked her multiple times myself. I am sure." said Sly as his expression grew darker.
Birse leaned back in his chair and thought things through silently, he gazed down at the table thinking quietly for a few long moments before speaking again "I guess that's that."
The table had turned quiet as everyone considered these changes, the danger that Kyle could change or Sly die outside of Chaoz. The tension began to get worse as nobody moved to speak again, each with their own worries held their thoughts to themselves.
Except for Kyle who couldn't stand it anymore "So what are your guy's plans now? How do we move from now on Birse?"
Birse thankful for a change of topic answered "I had planned for us to move to Hash-"
Yet Lilior cut him off "Master…is going away?..." she asked with a saddened tone from between Kyle's ears.
Kyle raised his hands over his head and scooped her up into his palms, lowering her to his eye level he then spoke "I'm sorry Lilior but you'll have to stay here with the others. You cannot come with me." He spoke to her with a friendly smile.
Lilior looked up to him with sadness clear in her expression "But Li-..I don't want to…I want to go where master goes…"
Kyle shook his head "I'm sorry Lilior, even though I promised you…I need to deal with this…before…before I hurt anybody else." He replied while still smiling although his expression darkened.
Lilior began to tear up "I understand…Lilior will stay…I will protect these stupid people from killing themselves…" she said while hugging herself. Kyle realised he had forgotten something, how Lilior would react to the news. He had forgotten that she was after all still a child, new to the world around her albeit her vast knowledge of it.
"Thank you Lilior." Said Kyle as he patted her lightly on the head with his index finger before glancing around the table, stopping to look at Seren a silent understanding went through as she nodded back at him.
Seren stood up and walked up to where Kyle sat "Oh don't worry baby we'll be here for you." She told Lilior with a grin before scooping her up into her palms "Help me keep these idiots from getting themselves killed kay?" she asked the fairy with a wink who nodded back with a weak smile.
"Don't teach her anything weird." Said Sly with a snort.
Seren moved to sit back down with Lilior in her right hand but not before giving Sly the middle finger with her left.
"You know where to shove that." Said Sly as he rolled his eyes.
"Oh I didn't know you liked it that way, don't need to admit it so boldly." Replied Seren with a smirk.
Sly looked at her confused for a few moments before opening his mouth to reply but not finding any words to do so, he turned away grumbling in annoyance.
Most chuckled or just snorted in amusement at the exchange before Birse returned to the topic at hand "So back to it, I've decided some of us will be going to Hasharr."
"Why's that?" asked Jacky as he was finally noticed by everyone while he stood in the corner of the room, the shadows seemingly hiding his very presence.
"Well." Birse turned to Caitlyn who was glancing around awkwardly, feeling out of place in this group of summoned friends.
"Ah…Even though the Empire won't attack rashly with us and the Dezol now having allied, if they gain support of their allies on Hasharr we will once more be outnumbered and outmatched. Spying on the Elves will prove impossible but Hasharr is a different story altogether." She began to explain.
"Indeed those dumb Orcs couldn't tell a Mer from a Nymph." Joked Samala with a sneer.
"Yes...and their cousins the Ogres are less warlike but just as foolish." Added Caitlyn.
"So green barbarians and jolly giants that are easily manipulated." Said Birse with a smirk "You can see where I'm going with this."
"Yeah, guess that's a plan." Said Cherry as the room turned quiet yet again.
For a few more long moments the table remained silent, other than Sly grumbling under his breath, Seren reassuring Lilior and Soren eating no other sound could be heard.
"Guess it's time." Said Kyle as he stood up from his seat "This isn't good bye." He spoke with a smirk "We'll see each other again, just don't break this world while I'm away."
Birse snorted "And you don't break either." Replied Birse before he turned to Sly "And you, don't die on us."
"Die?" asked Sly as he looked up "In these past few days I've been living with Demons and Devils, I'll give em hell." He responded with a chuckle.
Jacky groaned in annoyance "Fucking puns…"
"Meh I'll keep this one alive." Said Soren as he picked his teeth with a short knife "Can't say much about the rest of you." He then said whilst standing up.
Birse chuckled "Then go, we'll be waiting." He gestured at the door "Just another day around here am I right?"
"Yeah." Agreed Kyle as he turned to the door, Soren following behind him "Just another quest to complete." He said while waving with his back to them. Making their way out of the room Kyle gestured for Soren to go first "Any clue where the exit is? We need to go to the general store."
"Ye it's right this way." Said Soren as he took the lead "By the way since you're some sort of fox then what that makes me?" he then asked.
Kyle shrugged "I don't know, you'll have to ask them."
"Them who?" asked Soren.
"The Ancients or my Aunt, they might know. Ymir's out of credit at the moment." Replied Kyle.
"How the hell does that work?" wondered Soren as he lead them both out of the mansion.
They both made their way through the Noble's district, discussing how a Deity's ability to communicate relies on some currency. Daylight turned to sundown as night approached, only one of the two suns still visible over the city's walls.
Right as they reached the generalmart, a massive building of it's own right, night had fallen. The store would have been empty if it wasn't for the few stragglers taking their time with purchases or class selection.
"Well here we go." Said Kyle as he opened the class selection menu yet again.
Class Manager
Level: 127
Main Class: Lord of Slimes
Sub Class: None
Available Classes: Wrestler, Golemancer, Taoist, Wizard, SpellBlade
{Main Class mastery is available}
"So what sub-class you picking?" asked Soren as Kyle allowed him to see the window.
"Not sure yet, definitely not Wrestler I'll tell you that much." Replied Kyle as he looked through each class's description.
Golemancer: A master of monster cores, using the elements to form powerful minions around them. Master craftsmen and powerful mages, Golemancers are only limited by their mana pool.
'A Golem has many uses, from carry weight to meat shield it all comes down to the imagination of its creator.'; Etelia Ul'tera, Draconic Golemancer.
You will acquire the following class skills;
Actives: [Golem Script]
Passives: [Material Identification], [Core Mould]
Before Kyle didn't know he could inspect certain phrases in the system, now he was glad he knew as he read through the class descriptions.
Gaining Golemancer told Kyle that he'd be capable of identifying materials for use with his golems better, to know what he can and cannot do with said materials and know anything and everything about said material possible. [Core Mould] on the other hand also told him he'd be capable of creating his own cores, how he would fill the core with a monster's soul he wasn't sure.
[Golem Script] was a mystery, he could come up with multiple translations of the phrase but until he acquired the class he couldn't know what it did and the system didn't allow him to see description of a skill he did not have.
Taoist: Benders of the base elements that make emotion, bound by their own laws and chained down by their rules these masters of Spirit's power comes from their control and brilliance.
'Simply being able does not mean one will. Power comes at a cost, whether it is corruption of one's soul, mangling of one's body or following of self-enforced laws.'; Terrance Soulshell, Spirit Beast Master Founder.
You will acquire the following class skills;
Actives: [Unchain]
Passives: [Spirit Whisper], [Spirit Summon]
The quotes in the class's descriptions interested Kyle but this second one surprised him as he read the name, one of the Ancients he had and will meet again was deemed important enough by the system to be quoted here.
Going by the description alone Kyle understood that Taoist was a Spirit based class that focused on control and limiting power as a cost for further accuracy and possibly sub-effects. [Unchain]'s name told Kyle that the skill was similar to [Core Overload] or [Rage], a power boost at the cost of something or with a cost at the end of it's buff.
[Spirit Whisper] was similar to [Golem Script], as in he did not know nor could he guess at what it could do. [Spirit Summon] on the other hand was fairly obvious, to possibly summon a spirit to fight for him or to gain special passives from it.
Wizard: Strict followers of the Law of Magiks these powerful beings of any race or beginning are crafters of spells who disdain the very mentioning of sorcery and live against it's chaotic nature. Using pre-prepared spells, magic circles and imbued tablets Wizards take control over the battlefield as true tacticians of warfare while spending most of their time locked away in their laboratories studying their craft as a science.
'Nature is calculatable, random it is not. Magic is similar, an observable force of nature.'; Magus Jhin Kastoff, One Man Empire.
You will acquire the following class skills;
Actives: [Spell Slotting]
Passives: [Spell Theory], [Dual Casting]
As much as Kyle loved creating his own spells and skills this class seemed too limited, if the description meant anything was that Wizards did not make use of raw magic like Kyle did with his Frostfire bending it at will. Yet he couldn't deny his interest in the class, mainly [Spell Slotting] as he thought of it of some sort of spell slot system usually found in games while [Spell Theory] could be understood in different ways.
[Dual Casting] also was similar to [Spell Theory] at it's broadness but Kyle guessed it meant either casting two spells at once or casting in conjunction with another caster.
SpellBlade: Both a sorcerer and blademaster, Spellblades unlike other sorcerers who dwell in the very nature of magic as creatures of it they dwell in it's use in battle. Bending the elements at will they bring fourth untold chaos and destruction upon their enemies while expertly wielding enchanted weapons made for mass genocide. SpellBlades live for war and wars don't last very long when they step in.
'For the wind I am and the wind is I, I befall over the battlefield in the form of a hurricane and exit a spotless blade surrounded by my bloodied foes.' Titania Faeborn, Goddess of Blades, Fae Empress.
You will acquire the following class skills;
Actives: [Imbue Blade]
Passives: [Elemental Mastery], [Imbue Body]
SpellBlade seemed to go with Kyle's need for better melee combat and would give his [Frostfire Blade] a use yet it didn't quiet sit right with him, caster was always his preferred role and melee combatant his least with ranger and support sitting in the middle.
Unlike the other classes SpellBlade's skills were all too broadly named, he couldn't decide on what they could be able to do.
"So why won't you run wrestler?" asked Soren as he seemed to be reading it's description.
"Because I played martial artist too damn much when Sly insisted on teaching me to PK." Replied Kyle "My body isn't made of steel, those classes require you to get too damn close and personal for my taste."
"Good point, armour would also get in the way unlike weapon wielding classes like mine." Soren agreed "So have you made up your mind?"
Kyle sighed "Nope, I want to hurry up and pick but it's not easy. SpellBlade would be a good fit, Wizard is my favourite and Taoist would help my current situation. Golemancer is just extra, my golems have been useful but I see no further use in making more than two and the debuffs that would come with controlling them." he explained his thoughts on each class.
"Sounds like you've hit a dead end." Said Soren with a shrug.
"What did you pick for sub-class?" Kyle asked as he glanced to the side and inspected him.
Soren [Forged Berserker]-[Paladin] (Axe-Flinger) (RHD DiggyHoleDigger) Level 124
"Soren…" Kyle stared at him in disbelief.
"What." Said Soren as he looked up at him.
"You, a melee based warrior class, picked a melee based healer class…" Kyle stated in disbelief.
"Yeah, what about it?" asked Soren with a raised brow.
Kyle sighed and held his face "I hope you at least gained some sort of ranged holy magic…"
"Nope, just weapon enhancing and heals" added Soren with another shrug.
"You're trying to make Sly lose his mind aren't you?" said Kyle with a chuckle.
"Meh, whichever I pick he'll have something to say." stated Soren snort.
"Yeah he would." agreed Kyle as he turned back to the class selection window "So what do you think of him going back home? To stop Scythe alone?"
"It's Sly, when does he ever have a fucking plan?" Soren asked with a grin
"Hah…Except now I think he does." Said Kyle before moving on to explain "Those eyes he had, he's changed Soren and I don't think it's done him any good. This world has changed him too much."
Soren stared up at Kyle with a confused expression "What of it?"
Kyle glanced away from the window as he picked a class "Soren do you trust me?"
"Yeah bud, what you thinking?" Soren asked as he leaned back in his chair.
"Heh, I'll show you." replied Kyle as the world blacked out.