All Chapters of IRONROOT SOVEREIGN: Rise Of The Marked Envoy: Chapter 1
- Chapter 10
13 chapters
#1: Portal Escape
A library wasn't one of my usual hangout spots, as I preferred the sharp smell of expensive scotch over the mouldy smell of old books. Still, I was sufficiently familiar with the libraries to know that dashing through the corridors at full speed, not caring about the noise I made, was not a good thing.It was the kind of thing that summoned a stony-faced librarian, her fingers raised in warning.Yet, as I took a sharp corner, grabbing a shelf to bleed my momentum even as I pulled them down in a crash, blocking the path behind me, no librarian came to block my path, ready to warn me about the disrespect I was displaying.Maybe they were intimidated by my expensive clothes — an elegant, tailored suit that was shockingly near six figures, and an expensive, handmade watch that was well into six figures — or the fact that my hair was more white than black, showing my relatively advanced age, almost into my early sixties.Maybe my age was enough to earn some respect.Or maybe, just a wild,
#2: Arrival
I didn't know how long I stayed in the sea of light. A second…An eternity… Slowly, however, I was able to pin down that the time wasn't moving just as fast, but it was a sensation similar to being drunk. It was strong, stronger than anything else I tasted or experienced, enough to enrapture me if it wasn't for the combined effects of the adrenaline rush and the pain of my wounds. Interestingly, the moment I stepped into the light, the sensation of rejection vanished completely, almost like it didn't exist in the first place. Maybe I should have felt fascinated by the dancing colors around me, but a lifetime of practicality forced me to consider something else. Whoever — or whatever — was responsible for the portal was clearly not omnipotent. If they had been, they could have done something more effective to keep me away than trying to play with my thoughts or emotions to make me take such a decision. However, even as I processed that, I turned my attention to the other detail. Two
#3: First Deception
For a moment, I ignored everything and focused on the warmth spreading from my stomach after each sip of the mysterious liquid that they were forcing me to drink, filling my whole body. It was not just my wounds that closed with an incredible speed, but every sign of blood loss disappeared as well. 《+1 Health》 《-1 Health》 All while those two lines popped in occasionally. The silver lining, I didn't need to fear that the liquid was poisoned or drugged. Not with their magic voice more than enough for the task. My short, continuous breaths filled the room as I was busy processing the miracle that was happening in real-time, more than enough for sainthood. Especially since it was not just my wounds that were disappearing, but also all the little pains and aches that accompanied me for years, all the evidence of a misspent youth. I wondered if it was a permanent change, but something temporary. "What a waste, maybe we should —" said someone at a distance, before one of the other ser
#4: Hidden Growth
"Is there anything else I can do for you, great Marked Envoy," the servant said after he led me to my room — a huge, opulent room, decorated as lavishly as anything else, but I noted that, unlike everywhere else, there were no decorative weapons on the walls, instead replaced by huge paintings. Paintings that shared fascinating themes. Each painting showed five men, fighting against some kind of horde. Not all hordes were the same, some showed scenes filled with ghouls and zombies, while others had dragon-like huge monsters filling the painting. One even showed some kind of metal machines, though too far different than the tanks and planes that he was used to, impossible to truly assess. "No, you can leave," I said in a dreamlike tone as I focused on the paintings until I heard him slam the door and leave. I stayed locked at the paintings, not because I was truly interested in the scenes they deciphered, but due to the subtle sense of attraction that radiated from them. It wasn't a
#5: Flying Court
As I lay down in my bed, sleepless, I found myself trying to decide what to do, but it was hard to do when my information was limited. All I knew was that I was in some kind of magic world, summoned to fight against some kind of great danger. Or at least, that was the impression they were trying to give me. My only advantage, my ability to lie… "I have handled worse odds," I muttered as I buried my face in the pillow. I didn't try to sleep. I didn't want to lose precious thinking time… And, more importantly, I wasn't exhausted. With my Vitality increased, I was feeling more energetic than I had felt in years, feeling like I could go without sleep for days… I lay in my bed, wondering whether it was the day or night, the lack of windows leaving me wondering about that detail. Or this new world had a concept of day and night in the first place, showing just how little I knew about the new world I had found myself in… Cycling over the same deficient set of information over and over
#6: Midnight Game
"A flying Court," I murmured as I glanced around, fascinated yet scared by the idea. I shouldn't have. The idea of several thousand tons of rock and marble flying through the air was not a concept I couldn't understand. Just a big — well, huge — magical helicopter; nothing against the miracle of taking me to a different world, or somehow rewriting my whole biology. Maybe it was why it scared me. Teleporting to a different world was something mystical, an event that I couldn't even begin to comprehend. A flying Court that probably weighed as much as an aircraft carrier … was the kind of miracle that I could understand, both in terms of strategic deterrence, and the amount of sheer force that was required to keep it floating. Enough to make me feel stirrings of cold, calculated fear, the kind that I hadn't felt even when I was a young man, and found myself as the target of the majority of the underworld due to a chain of unfortunate circumstances. "No despair," I muttered as I turne
#7: Card Sharks
I glanced around innocently as I took note of the corridor. It was different than the upper floor. Unlike the singular corridor that connected to huge rooms, the corridor split into three, implying the rooms were smaller — and likely less luxurious as well. The walls were still filled with many weapons, though they looked less decorative, and more functional, but that was all I was able to get as I limited myself not to look too suspicious. "Now, it's just a friendly game, just a few denicas to make things more fun, nothing more," their leader muttered as he removed his helmet, revealing an ordinary, middle-aged face, his dirty blonde hair and the large nose the only distinguishing feature. "Maybe a bit more than a few denicas, Captain," said one of the soldiers — black-haired and younger, he revealed as he removed his helmet as well. "One or two skill stones wouldn't be too much. I wouldn't say no to an advanced sword skill." Their leader looked dissatisfied with the idea. "Don't
#8: Drunken Lessons
The guards had dismissive smiles on their faces as they looked at my game, not bothering to hide their mocking smirks as I acted like I was putting my full attention on the game. I had all the confidence of winning the first pile, and not because I bothered to put a complicated strategy in place, or actually tried to cheat. No card shark would ever actually let the mark lose during the first hand, not even the incompetent, amateur ones I was currently playing with. Still, I watched them, looking for signs of cheating — not because I cared particularly much about the borrowed money I had, but because I wanted to get a sense of how things had worked in this new world I found myself in. It was for the better if I could avoid shanking before I got too ambitious when gambling. I failed to get any sign of cheating before the first pile was concluded after I raised by another ten denicas. "You're so lucky," one of them laughed as slapped his thigh. "Look at that, almost forty denicas, a g
#9: Hidden Edges
I returned to my room, even though it was tempting to spend the rest of the night in the library, hoping to find something, but after some consideration, I decided against it. I was afraid of the captain checking to make sure I was in my place. I just stopped to swipe a book from the library, to see if I could use that to my benefit. The temptation to go and poke around the room Toross and Falael were currently occupying was even higher. They were still sleeping with the door open, drunk, but I didn't want to risk it. Even with my limited Vitality, the impact of the alcohol had long disappeared, and I didn't want to take the risk of one of them waking up to catch me skulking around. My harmless aura was my single greatest asset, and I didn't want to risk it for the moment. I wasn't afraid of them getting rid of me after all the effort they had spent – much – but that didn't mean I was willing to show myself. Right now, they were confident that a blast of mental pressure was all th
#10: Strength Test
It was Toross that was at the door. "I hope you had a good rest. We have a lot of things to do today," he said, with a sense of energy that could never be displayed by someone that was suffering from a hangover.I didn't ask anything as I stood up. While his words weren't followed by the exact kind of pressure that followed Falael's words, there was no harm in showing my enthusiasm to follow their orders — the more obedient I looked, the easier it would be to slip things through them.Also, Toross was still radiating a sense of aura that asked for respect and obedience, which was more constant than Falael's occasional flares, and being proactive in questioning him might make me suspicious about my ability to reject the impact of his Charisma.It was better to be safe."Wear something more comfortable," he said as he pointed at the wardrobe."Anything in particular?" I asked."Just some pants and a loose tunic, maybe some robust boots will do. We will move around a bit today," he said,