Emperor Has Returned

“@#$##!&#%.”

The attackers all stopped in place right as the short man whispered something into the air .

Purple tentacles squirmed out from the bodies of the attackers.

Having torn through bones, the texture and shape of the tentacles danced in the moonlight. With tentacles sticking out from everywhere on their bodies, the attackers looked as if they were dead corpses stuck in a thorn bush.

They were looking at Juan with eyes void of life.

‘Not a good look.’

Holding his dagger loosely by his side, Juan looked at the small man haphazardly.

The small man began to walk towards Juan. Only when it was close enough that Juan could recognise his face, the man slowly took off his bandana.

A tentacle was sticking out from his left eye.

His other eye was lifeless just like the other attackers. Like the rest, he too was already a piece of corpse.

The man’s tongue flicked out as he began talking.

“I’ll ask again. Why are you looking for Drugal?”

“I didn’t expect that you’d come. I thought you guys prefered waiting.”

“Arrogant, are we.”

The man flicked out his tongue as he laughed.

“Finding out where Drugal is shouldn’t be difficult. But before that, I couldn’t help but notice a few ‘things’ about you. Black hair. You’re the….. ‘black emperor’ that the church has put out a bounty for, right?”

Black emperor.

The first time Juan was hearing it.

Instead of replying, Juan whipped his dagger at the man’s throat, cleanly lopping off his head.

Juan stuck his dagger into the man’s head that was rolling away and lifted it. Seeing Juan upside down, the man grinned sarcastically.

“Too short tempered, your highness.”

Juan knew of only one group that had the skills to do something like this.

“I should have ended yous for good when I was still alive.”

Juan flicked his dagger and the man’s head dropped to the floor. With his foot, Juan crushed it flat.

Purple fluids splattered everywhere. A strange sound was emitted as the tentacles wiggled away.

“My god, this is…..”

With tentacles sticking out, one of the attackers spoke. Juan made a ghastly expression. The attacker got on his knees and crawled his way over.

“This is a surprise……..I can feel the emperor’s energy. Maybe you really are the emperor. But in any case, why are you trying to find us, your highness? Isn’t your highness’s body at the capital? I thought your stance against the church was hostile?”

“Thats none of your business.”

“Is that so? Well, I guess you’re right, black emperor. However, if your highness is insisting on finding us…..I can’t help but think it’s got something to do with Gared Ga-in, isn’t that right?”

The attacker laughed towards Juan in a snidely tone.

Juan’s face couldn’t help but stiffen. A being that was clearly associated with the fissure was referring to Gared’s name without care.

Juan felt an intent desire to kill.

“We’re not here to stop you, your highness. Rather, we have been waiting for you.”

“Really…..”

“I assure you, we’ll do our best to welcome you. Please consider visiting the Thorn tree priesthood. Come and show us your light.”

One of the attackers whispered at him while grabbing onto the foot of his pants. Juan simply shoved his dagger between his eyes.

However, all the other attackers began to speak the same words, with the same voice at Juan.

“Please help us relieve us of our long awaited thirst.”

Juan grabbed his cheek. The attacker’s cheek turned bright red.

A fire suddenly rose and swept through the area.

Juan gestured his flaming hand and their burning bodies dismembered into pieces.

It was still dark as pieces of burnt skin flew off into the red wasteland. Not a single mouth survived.

Juan mumbled while looking down at their corpses.

“Thorn tree priesthood.”

The barren red wasteland slightly brightened from the burning corpses. It was still a long way to go till sunrise.

*****

“It matches the description of bodies found at Hiveden.”

A group wearing snake shaped helmets were examining some bodies in the middle of the wilderness.

Their white armored suit indicated their Paladin allegiance.

Completely burnt, unidentifiable corpses were lying over the ground in pieces.

A Paladin holding a green flag bent down and picked something up.

What looked to be remains of dried up purple tentacle.

“Thats……”

“Remains of the Thorn tree priesthood. Not surprised to hear they’re somehow involved in this.”

“Are you saying the devil from Tantil is related to the Thorn tree priesthood? Aren’t they of completely opposite directions?”

“Don’t try to understand the ways of the fissure, brother. If you do, they’ll try to enter your mind.”

Having been warned, the Paladin knight drew the emperor’s cross over his heart and whispered a short prayer. The knight holding the green flag, further examined the corpse then continued talking.

“Looks like they didn’t get along. It seems different than how those bastards from the Thorn tree priesthood normally kill. It’s too efficient and clean. It may even be possible that it’s not the work of a single individual.”

“Meaning that the Hugin knights were involved as well?”

“The likelihood is there.”

The Paladin holding the green flag slammed the end of the pole against the ground.

“In any case, brothers, our investigation is bearing fruit. We’re closing in on the bastard.”

*****

Crime was everywhere in the east.

In the east, powerful militia groups were preferred over high ranking public officials. Powerful people that wouldn’t betray and keep them safe as long as they were paid.

Because of this, more than anywhere else in the empire, mercenaries had a large presence in the east.

Among them, the mercenary guild ‘Dragon’s slumber’ was the biggest and had the most influence in the entire eastern region.

While their members consisted of vetern elites that could usually handle just about anything, recently talk of a new bounty had taken the guild by storm.

A man covered with wounds on his face walked into the guild.

Red blood dripped in a line from a black cloth that he was holding.

Sensing something serious, the other mercenaries murmured and made way. There weren’t too many things that were big, circular and dripped blood.

The man walked up and dropped the cloth over the counter, making a heavy thud sound.

“Take a look.”

The female attending the counter scowled but then carefully untangled the cloth, not wanting to get blood on her hands.

Once the knot untied, a black haired man’s head with his mouth gaping open was revealed for all to see. A revolting smell spread all throughout the room.

The man covered in wounds grinned as he leaned against the counter.

“10,000 gold leaf bounty. Looks the part doesn’t it?”

The female attendant who’d glimpsed at the man, shoved the head away as if she had better things to do. The man’s face distorted.

“Again? Where did you find this poor man, this time? Mr Harankal, it’s clearly written on the bounty that the target is 12 to 14 years old. You’re not given gold for any black haired person. Find and bring the suspect. Suspect only.”

“Ah, fuck. Those from outside the empire all look the same to me. Why don’t you send it to the church anyways. Not everyone has a good eye like you. Couldn’t they be fooled?”

“Stop with your nonsense and go bury the poor fellow. I know there’s no punishment for killing those from beyond the border but still…..you shouldn’t be killing people recklessly…..You have a reputation to consider.”

“My reputation isn’t going to feed me.”

“While it may not feed you, it could land you a knife in the back. Though you’re silver class, if you continue to act this carelessly, you could drop……”

The female attendant stopped talking. Upon following her gaze, Harankal’s eyes widened.

A black haired male had just walked into the guild.

It hadn’t been long since black haired people were rarely seen out in the east.

When the church put up a large reward, they disappeared in hiding for their safety.

Harankal took a good look at the black haired male that had just walked in.

Though he looked young, he definitely looked over 18 years old. He had a clean good looking appearance that shouted nobility.

Not the age he was looking for and clearly not the face of a wanted criminal on the run. Harankal guessed he was most likely one of those toy dogs that nobles kept around.

Harankal clicked his tongue. He couldn’t go at another innocent person when he’d just returned from killing one so recently.

Ignoring Harankal, the black haired man walked over to the counter.

The female attendant was blankly staring at him. Noticing her cheeks blush red, Harankal shook his head. Bloody women…..

“Wel, welcome.”

“I’m looking for a place called Drugal.”

Drrrrkk. A simultaneous sound of chairs scraping the floor.

The sound of every mercenary getting up upon hearing Drugal.

The female attendant’s cheeks turned from red to pale.

“Drugal? Why ar…….”

“I heard they’re recruiting mercenaries. And because of its remote location, I heard it’s best to find its exact whereabouts from the mercenary guild.”

“Hey, you.”

Harankal placed his hand on the black haired man’s shoulder from behind.

“Are you a mercenary? Not one of those nobility’s slaves? Actually……no. You can’t be a mercenary. Only the most desperate that have no other choice head over to Drugal. You on the other hand, could pretty much make a living off that pretty face.”

The black haired male dusted Harankal’s hand off his shoulder and again spoke to the female attendant.

“So how does one get to Drugal?”

“Uh, that, Drugal……. You see, we’ve put a restriction on information about Drugal, as most never return after going there. You’d have to be at least silver rank before…..”

“Actually, you’d be lucky to not return. Most that have returned, have either lost their minds or become disabled. Of course, a few do return with an incredible amount of gold but if someone as flimsy as you go, you’d be simply giving up your head. If you’re planning to lose your head there, I’ll happily take it now. There’s a shortage of black hair at the moment.”

Harankal stretched out his hand as if to stroke the black haired man’s head.

But before he could even touch it, the black haired man snatched his hand away.

Harankal tried pulling his hand from his grasp but his hand did not budge as if it was stuck in a rock.

“Black hair, you say.”

The black haired man glimpsed at the beheaded head placed next to the counter. The female attendant quickly explained.

“Ah, this was a misfortune that one of our mercenaries committed while looking for a suspect. I’ll make sure to reprimand him so that no one else is bound to the same mishappening. And uh, if you’re planning to go to Drugal, you need to be at silver rank, so if you have a mercenary registration, could I……”

“Don’t have one……Hmm.”

The black haired man turned and looked at Harankal. Harankal was still busy trying to pull out his hand.

The black haired man noticed a silver brooch that hung on his left shoulder.

“So this guy is a silver rank or whatever you’ve been talking about.”

“Ah, yes. However……”

Before the female attendant could finish talking, the black haired man stretched out his hand and grabbed Harankal’s cheeks.

Even though he was much bigger than the black haired man, Harankal dropped to his knees the moment his face had been seized.

Sound of something breaking out of place was heard

The sound of Harankal’s chin being crushed.

With only one hand, the black haired man was crushing Harankal’s teeth one by one.

Unable to scream due to his mouth being grabbed, Harankal could only let out an eerie muffled sound while his shoulders shuddered.

Having broken Harankal’s mandible, the black haired man tossed him away. Then proceeded to take the silver ornament off his shoulder.

“That should prove my skill.”

But the female attendant shook her head.

“Apologies, but not in that manner. And plus, fighting is prohibited inside the guild.”