The Bounty Hunter

The 4th day of Summer’s Eve, Year 200 of the Royal Era

Terra’s POV

I thought that being summoned would be like when I use to travel between worlds.  I was wrong.  There was no seamless transition after a brief spin.  Instead, I felt as if I were stuck on a merry-go-round from hell.  I had no discernable surroundings, and the only thing I could see was the damn writing from the summoning circle.  The words that the summoner used echoed in the blurry space I was hurtling through:  “O Peerless Devil, bane of all that is good, come forth to harvest hate and sow discord!”

Finally, after what felt like an eternity, my surroundings came into sharp view.  But I couldn’t be bothered to notice, because the instant I materialized in this world I felt a surge of power beyond anything I have ever felt before.  Mana surrounded me, so thick that it felt like I was swimming in it.  I could feel my body soak it up like it was a bone-dry sponge.  An endless waterfall of mana just poured into me.  The richness and purity of the mana seemed to allow my body to store more of it without destroying itself. 

This process caused the room to visibly tremble and buckle under the pressure of the invisible mana flow.  Eventually, it stopped and at that moment I was scared of myself.  I feel like I have energy similar to when I was channeling the mana from Liberator during Project Redemption.  Can this energy even be considered mana?  Or is it something more?  I decided to focus on this ridiculously excessive power-up later as I finally shifted my attention to my surroundings.

The room of the summoning was a dark and dank dungeon.  I was in the center of the summoning circle, a near exact replica of the one that appeared beneath me.  Except for the fact that it was drawn in dried blood.  A young human woman was prostrating on the edge of the circle. She had wispy green hair and blue eyes set in a face filled with worry lines.  Her body looked rather skinny, and based on the slackness of her skin, it was probably due to a lack of food.  Her flaws did not overshadow her natural attractiveness, especially when it was accentuated by the sheer ceremonial robe she was wearing.  There was a large bandage wrapped around her arm, indicating where the blood for the summoning circle came from.

The woman was in a terrified daze at my appearance, clearly having been overwhelmed by the pressure I was now exuding.  I used the momentary silence to examine the esoteric underpinnings of the summoning circle.  Depending on how the circle was constructed, the parameters of the summoning can vary.  The most common ones I saw in the other world were subjugation circles, where wizards tried to dominate the summoned spirits in a contest of will and strength. 

Naturally, the wizards only summoned weaker spirits that they could clearly control.  This summoning circle was a contract circle, where the summoner tries to bargain with the summoned for their services.  If an agreement is not reached, the summoning terminates before the summoned can harm the summoner.  That is, of course, assuming that the summoned being isn’t strong enough to just destroy the circle before it activates.  Interesting.  The prospect of payment was enough for me to stay put and not just destroy everything in sight.  I was also exceedingly curious about this world in general.  How is it related to my visions?  And is this bad feeling I’m getting from the phrase “Peerless Devil” something to be worried about?

The woman was still terrified and unable to initiate the conversation, so I decided to do so myself.  “What do you want?”  My voice echoed ominously in the dark room.  Oops, I didn’t expect my voice to gain so much gravitas and power.  I wasn’t even trying to be intimidating.  Nevertheless, the woman let out a high-pitched squeak at my words before collecting herself.  “I, Baroness Willow of House Meadow, beg of you, grant my wish in exchange for my offering!”  She maintained her prostate form respectfully as she waited for my response.

“…And what is this offering?”  I asked.  At my words the Willow’s trembling increased.  She stood up unsteadily and responded “Me.”  She undid the clasp of her robe, letting it slide off her pale skin to the stone floor.  She was not wearing anything underneath.  “I offer you the unblemished soul of a noble virgin, my soul.  In exchange, I wish for you to protect the city of Verlush from the invaders.”

What the fuck is this?  “I decline.  Why in the world would I want your soul?” I asked.  My response was clearly not what Willow expected.  “B-but, the Peerless Devil always demands a soul in exchange for his services!  You’re him, aren’t you?”  she cried back, forgetting her fear in the face of her confusion.  “Do I look like a devil to you?” I asked sarcastically.  To my dismay, Willow actually gave me a once over before staring past me to look at the back wall of the dungeon.  I followed her stare, and saw a mural. 

It depicted a hideous humanoid abomination with long talons and black tentacles growing out all across the body.  Its teeth were sharpened into fangs and a large eye with a bloody maw where the pupil should be was on its grossly swollen left bicep.  Its eyes were pitch black from iris to sclera and there were eerie, jarring red tattoos all across its skin.  In its talons was a rhomphaia dripping with blood, while in the background there were various scenes of death, despair and agony.  Despite the monstrous depiction, one could clearly see the similarities between me and the monster.  “Uh, you kind of look like the devil?  Your appearance seems to have been greatly distorted.”  Willow said after staring at the mural.

The picture of my Rin-possessed form made me suddenly get a very worrying suspicion.  “Tell me about this ‘Peerless Devil’.”  “Wouldn’t you know better than me?”  “I have no idea whether or not I am this being you are referring to, so clarification would be helpful!”  The fearful mood of Willow seemed to have dissipated completely now in the face of my own confusion.  “Well, to make a long story short, the Peerless Devil is the ultimate evil.  A being of hate, malice, and wrath, the Peerless Devil is the manifestation of all that was wrong with this world before it was redeemed.”

Redeemed.  Hearing that word made me tense as the implications whirled through my mind.  Willow continued talking, unaware of my reaction.  “The creation of our world was the result of the destruction of an old one.  That world was a vile one.  Atrocities occurred constantly, depravity was prevalent everywhere, and misery was the norm for all who lived there.  Then 5 people decided to change everything.  They were mighty beings known as ‘wizards’, individuals who were born with mana and were able to create it themselves, just like spirits.  They worked to change the world, to save it from itself, to ‘redeem’ it.  They were not gods, just simple residents who wished for a better existence.  These Redeemers decided to change the world through a ritual.  One that would purge all the evil impurities like a forge heating iron.”  That’s not how it fucking happened, they were trying to fuse two worlds together!

“Eventually, they stood on the cusp of success.  The Redeemers were about to bring true salvation to the world, and ascend to be benevolent gods tending to their new creation.  However, they were sabotaged a fellow wizard, one that embodied all that was wrong with the world they were trying to save, a devil in every sense of the word.  His evil knew no bounds, leading him to be known as “the Peerless”.  The Redeemers died stopping this Peerless Devil, sacrificing their chance at divinity in order to delay him long enough to allow for the world to be reborn.  And so everything came into existence.  Unfortunately, the Peerless Devil’s interference prevented true salvation from occurring.  Thus, all that is evil still lingers in the world to this day, although true salvation is still within reach should we strive for it.”  Willow finished her speech that sounded suspiciously like a sermon, looking at me expectantly for a response.

…This wasn’t a new world I was summoned to.  It was the old one, the one that I believed had been destroyed due to Project Redemption.  It didn’t end, it was simply remade.  Upon this realization, I could feel the old sensation return, the one where I could feel the presence of the two worlds and travel between them at will.  The migraines, the hallucinations and visions, they weren’t that at all.  It was my “world sense” going haywire at the recreation of the other world into something new.

I resisted the urge to continue interrogating her, seeing as I could feel the summoning circle weaken.  If it breaks before a contract is established, I’ll be flung back home and even if I travel back my usual way I may not end up in the same time.  Unlike the old world, this new one is not in sync with my world.  Or at least not yet.  Without a summoning circle to temporarily link space and time, one second back home could mean 14 years here.  Or vice versa.

“Hmm, I guess that I am this ‘Peerless Devil’, but the story is false on so many levels.  I was never called a devil, my name is actually Terra.”  Willow was about to ask me to explain, but I ignored her as I continued.  “Now, explain what exactly is your wish and we’ll discuss a suitable payment for my services.”  “You’ll grant my wish!?”  Willow exclaimed.  “Yes, assuming you provide adequate compensation.  And no, I have no interest in your soul.  And put your clothes back on already!” 

What followed was a lengthy explanation about the situation here in Verlush (the lush is pronounced like loosh).  Apparently, it is a city-state in the northern plains of this continent that is under siege by an army of vampires led by a True Ancestor (also known as a Vampire Lord), the highest level of vampire.  Vampires as a species are strange.  I would classify them as Undead, but their dependence on and consumption of blood makes them an anomaly in that category.  In simplest terms, a Vampire is a corpse that has managed to retain their entire soul (a universal fact for the species) and memories (this varies individually) it had when it was alive by feeding on blood.  This allows Vampires to keep a rather convincing semblance of life, looking more alive than dead. 

Unlike all other Undead, a vampire’s strength is not dependent on their soul and memories.  The strength of a Vampire is dependent on how pure their blood is.  Pure blood is defined by how similar it is to a living being’s blood.  Weak vampires have death-tainted sludge oozing through their veins while True Ancestors have blood so pure that it is indistinguishable from the living.  Purity is achieved through concentrating blood via repeated feedings, with blood from more powerful living creatures being more effective.  Aging also purifies the blood, and I daresay there are other unknown factors that do so as well.  Vampires may arise naturally from a corpse that was soaked in blood that’s not its own or from a vampire infecting a living being.  These are the only undead that can propagate like this.

“How many vampires are attacking?”  “Um, estimates say around 12,000.  The city guard has been holding them off, but we won’t last much longer.  You have no interest in my soul, so instead I am prepared to offer up a secret treasure of my house.”  Willow said dramatically, clearing hoping to tempt my interest.  She succeeded.  “And what is this treasure?”  “An Elixir of Life which grants the one who drinks it temporary immortality.”

I found it.  I found the way to save Hikari.  It must be my lucky day to have all the necessary ingredients just magically appear before me. “I swear by the contract that I shall annihilate the invaders in exchange for an Elixir of Life!”  I cried out before Willow could even finish her words.  A faint imprint of the summoning circle appeared on the back of my hand as Willow spoke out her part “I swear by the contract that I shall grant thee an Elixir of Life once the invaders are vanquished!”

A blood red imprint appeared on the backs of our hands at the conclusion of the contract.  I felt the tethers set by the initial summoning solidify onto Willow, giving me an anchor on this world.  Seeing Willow was now my employer, I restrained the power that I had been naturally emitting.  “Let’s go.  The sooner this is done with the sooner I can leave.”  I promptly strode past Willow, headed towards the exit and the 12,000 ingredients I still have to collect.