Reborn 10 - Demonic Valor

by D. W. Jackson

  When the mirror was pushed aside, it revealed a hidden set of stairs that lead downward. Lifting his hand, the sage said a few words and a small globe of light filled his hand. “Shall we go my lord?” the sage asked politely.

  “Why all the need for secrecy?” Ash asked as he started down the stone steps. “By nature, the demons cannot revolt against their lord, so why the need to go through all this trouble?”

  “It is true that they cannot openly revolt,” the sage admitted. “If they did, all the current Maoh would have to do would be order them to take their own lives and it would be over, but that does not stop them for secretly doing so. Just like with any race, there are both good and bad among the number of demons that live within the kingdom. There are more than a few that would let go of their better judgement and try to take whatever they could get their hands on.”

  “I see,” Ash said as he once again started to think about the demons. He still knew far too little about them to call himself their king, even though that was what he was, no matter what name they gave to it.

  They continued down in a spiral for so long Ash was sure that soon they might reach the center of the earth. To help pass the time and to keep himself busy, Ash started to count the steps as they walked further down. He didn’t know how many he had passed before he had started counting, but Ash counted 547 before he stopped at a large steel door that looked as if it would take four men to open.

  “Place your hand on the plate my lord,” the sage said as he pointed to a set of small gold plates slightly bigger than a hand. Ash did as he was told and put his left hand on one of the plates while the sage placed his on the other. A small spark of blue light flashed in the air before the sound of grinding could be heard.

  The large door started to swing forward to reveal a room three times the size of the bedroom above. As Ash entered the room, he looked around to see a pile of coins twice as tall as he was with the based as wide as he would be laying down. Reaching over, Ash picked up one of the coins and looked it over. It was clearly made from gold, but the coin was different from what he had seen before.

  Other than a number of piles of coins, there was also numerous chests filled with everything imaginable. Since he worked for the duchess and he was her husband, Ash has some understanding to how much gold the duchy had saved over the years, but compared to what was before him now, it was like the difference between heaven and earth. Ash was sure that if Emelia had a quarter of what was within this one room, she could easily compete with any of the major kingdoms.

  “The equipment is kept over here my lord,” the sage said, pulling Ash away from his thoughts.

  Letting his eyes go to where the sage was indicating, Ash found a number of large stands against the east wall. Ash’s eyes widened as he noticed countless weapons and suits of armor, all presented as if they were showcased in front of a prominent store.

  First Ash headed to where the weapons were located. There was almost enough to outfit a small army, let alone just himself and his current guards. Picking up the first one, Ash used his ability to analyze it.

  [Devil’s Blade: sword made from a unique metal ore that was gained from killing a greater devil. Attack 32-36, durability 65/65. Strength + 5, agility +5, drain 10%.]

  “What does the ability drain do?” Ash asked as he held the sword.

  “It turns a certain portion of the damage done to an enemy to HP.”

  Setting aside the first sword, Ash picked up the next one.

  [Blade of the Serpent. Durability 70/70. Attack 33-37. Strength +4, agility +6, poison.]

  Ash picked up sword after sword and found that each one of them were things that far exceeded what he was using now, but still they were below his expectations.

  “Where you expecting something different?” the sage asked when he saw the pensive look on Ash’s face.

  “I don’t know,” Ash said feeling slightly awkward. “I was thinking that I would find an overpowering weapon that was something that people would write songs about,” He said honestly.

  The sage gave a short laugh and shook his head. “I guess that would be the dream of any warrior who came here looking for something, but the truth is that the best weapons of the kingdom are gathered here. This isn’t a story, but real life so how could there be something like that. Any of these weapons will serve you well, but there is nothing that will make you the equal to a god on its own. For that, you will have to train, gain strength, and have a great deal of luck.”

  Ash nodded his head, feeling more than a little foolish as he continued to search through the weapons. After almost a quarter of an hour of searching, Ash found something that caught his eye.

  [Fouremar. Durability 60/60 attack 35-40. Strength +10, agility +5, fire brand.]

  It didn’t have the largest attack out of the swords he had seen. At most it was only slightly behind the others. What he really liked was the extra stats were slightly higher and the addition of fire brand. It was an ability that he had seen before. It meant that the blade would heat up as MP was poured into it, making it able to melt through most armor.

  In the end, Ash decided on the sword. He wasn’t really sure why, but it seemed like the right choice and Ash had always liked to go with his gut when he was unsure.

  Normally Ash would pass his armor and weapons down to someone else, but the sword he had been using had been given to him by Emelia and was a family heirloom, so he couldn’t do that. It just wouldn’t feel right and he was sure that Emelia might skin him alive if he let another woman use it. Putting his old sword away in his inventory, Ash strapped the new one onto his waist.

  After finding the right weapon for himself, Ash looked through the others to search for something for his guards. For a brief moment he thought about looking for something that Emelia and Yuki could use, but decided against it. Right now there was still no knowing how they would react to the news that he had become the next Maoh. He loved Emelia, but he couldn’t turn his back on the demons. Until everything was settled, Ash thought it would be best to wait until after the war to make any real decisions since no one knew what the future might hold.

  It didn’t take him long to find weapons for the guards since he knew their preference thanks to the long talks they had. There were a few he was unsure of, but he used his best judgment in those cases. Once the weapons were picked, Ash moved over to where the armor was placed. There were far less choices among the armor. It seemed like people preferred to give weapons as a gift compared to armor, even though right now armor was the main thing that Ash wished to upgrade.

  Ash had given more thought to what kind of armor that he wanted over the past few nights. He had thought about taking full armor, but in the end he had to throw away that idea. The extra defense would be welcomed, but Ash’s fighting style relied heavily on his mobility and if he word heavy armor that would be decreased dramatically. In the end, Ash decided to keep the same kind of armor he had been wearing. He only hoped that he could find some better than what he was already wearing.

  After looking around, Ash found three pieces of chest armor that could be used. All of them were better than what he was using, but he finally decided on one after giving it a lot of thought. It had slightly less defense than the other armors, but it had elemental properties that Ash felt offset the lower defense.

  [Gold Dragon Light Armor. Durability 65/65 defense +35. Vitality + 15 elemental defense +15%.]

  Next Ash looked at gauntlets and accessories, but none of them looked much better than what he was already using. From what Ash saw, they had various different abilities tied to them but none of them offered much in the way of defense so Ash deiced to keep what he already had.

  After looking at the rings and gauntlets, Ash moved over to where the leg armor was located. Just like with the chest armor, there was not much to choose from. In fact, there were only two pieces that looked as if they would be useful. Thanks to the low number of choices, it only took him a moment to choose the one he wanted.<
br />
  [Pants of the Fire Drake. Durability 45/45 defense 22. Agility +8, spirit +6 fire defense +20%.]

  “Have you found everything that you wanted my lord?” The sage asked once Ash walked away from where the weapons and armor were kept. The whole time Ash was looking through the items, the sage had stayed in the center of the room as if he was afraid to take another step into the room.

  “I have found what I like, but if you don’t mind, I would like to look around the vault for a bit longer,” Ash said as his eyes scanned past the other numerous objects in the room.

  “My lord, everything within this room belongs to you,” the sage said in a slightly confused tone.

  “I thought it belonged to the kingdom, not me personally,” Ash replied just as confused.

  “No my lord,” the sage replied, shaking his head. “The kingdom treasury is kept at a second place and is easily three times as large as what you see before you. If you wish to see the treasury, that can be arranged, but we would have to gather at least three clan heads to open it.”

  When Ash heard the sage’s words, his head started to swim. “Three times as large,” Ash muttered to himself. What was in the room alone could easily match any kingdom, but three times the amount would make them the wealthiest country as far as he knew. “How did we amass so much?” Ash asked, his knees feeling a little weak.

  “Well, each clan pays a small amount each year in the form of taxes. Since most the youth train in the labyrinth, it was not hard for any one clan to amass a small wealth and since each clan takes care of its own lands, there is very little for the kingdom to spend on it, so we have been lax in taxes yet it still starts to amass over the years. A great portion of both your personal vault and that of the kingdom was gained during the time of the great wars before the kingdom was sealed off. Whenever we destroyed a city or army, we would take 20% of anything of value while the rest went to the human king and his men. At one time, we did pay a small tithe to the churches and human king, but it never amounted to much. Thanks to that, we now have what you see before you.”

  “I see,” Ash said as he tried to imagine the grand battles that must have taken place in the past. Shaking off the thoughts, Ash started to look around the room. Most of the items were just for looks, but a few of them gave odd benefits. There was a small statue of an angel that could bless water and turn it into holy water to be used against the undead. There was also a gaudy cane that could increase magical power greatly, but the drawback was that it decreased your HP by 25%.

  Ash picked a few items that he thought would make good gifts to Emelia. Before he was hesitant about using the contents of the vault as gifts, but now that he knew they were his and didn’t belong to the kingdom, he didn’t feel as bad. Though it still caused a slight twinge of pain when he thought about it too deeply.

  Once he was finished, Ash headed back up the long stairs. Even with his boosted stats, Ash found them tiring, not physically, but mentally. One could only stare at the same blank walls while walking up the stairs for so long before his mind started to feast upon itself.

  After returning to his room, Ash went to find his wives and pass out what he had gathered for them from the vault. Most of the women accepted the gift with a small smile and a bow, but Tolarea had to be the one to take it a step farther. Ash had picked out a large double sword that even with his enhanced strength would make his arms ache if he tried to use it for too long. The attack power of the large weapon alone was 120. It was far higher than his, but it did have a small drawback since it reduced agility by 15, but it increased strength 25. Ash didn’t find any single handed weapons that had drawbacks, but then again none of them seemed quite as good as the one he had found for Tolarea.

  “Let us try it out,” Tolarea yelled as she pulled Ash outside the palace to spar. Ash didn’t know if he should laugh or cry. In the end, he just let her have her way. A good spar could do a lot to settle his nerves that were starting to press down on him once again.

  10-3

  The next day Ash woke when the muscles in his legs began to spasm, the night before Tolarea had not let him rest until they had fought five times. When he had finally thought it was over, she lifted him up like a newlywed wife and carried him to his bedroom for another kind of fight, leaving him more drained then if he had spent two days straight fighting in the labyrinth.

  Today was the start of the war, even though there would be no fighting. The sage had called in all the clan heads and soon the palace would be filled with forty-two demons who each had their own opinions about the coming war. Ash was sure that more than a few of them would protest the demons helping out such a small land with nothing to gain from the fight, but Ash was resolute in his decision and he would not be swayed.

  Today would be the start of his personal war against his own people. In Ash’s mind, the clan heads were much more qualified to make decisions than he was, but the sage warned against this way of thinking. “If you don’t take the country into your own hands from the beginning, then you will never be taken seriously,” the sage had said over and over. Ash understood what the sage was saying, but he was unsure if it was such a bad thing to leave the country in the hands of the clan heads. The ones he had met were all nice people, if a bit odd. In his eyes, they were much better than many of the nobles he had met when he had been in the human kingdom. Still, if he let the kingdom get too far out of his hands, there was no telling what could happen with Emelia and the war. There was even a chance the demons might decide to turn on the small duchy after the battle was over and force Emelia into the demon kingdom while giving her lands to one of the smaller clans and upgrading them to a major clan. From what the sage said, many of the smaller clans had once been major clans and vice versa. It seemed that every three hundred years or so, one clan would take the place of the other in internal wars though they were never as big as the one that was going on now and more often than not they were bloodless.

  Ash took his meal in his room while he looked over the large stack of papers that had been placed on his desk during his absence. In the short time between the death of the previous Maoh and Ash taking the place as the next one, the sage had done most the work needed to keep the kingdom working, though in truth there was little to be done. Most the papers were simple requests from clan heads for one thing or another, mostly requiring the help of other clans. The Durmor clan needed three thousand enchanted bricks which meant Ash would have to request them from one of the two clans that dealt with such things. As Ash looked through the papers, he started to understand why Emelia always seemed as if she were working. For her, it was even worse since she couldn’t really trust any of the nobles since they didn’t think that a woman should hold the post of a leader.

  In an hour, Ash had only gone through a tenth of the papers. Most of them were simple requests that Ash was sure the clans could take care of by just asking the other clan that dealt with what they needed themselves, but it seemed that many of the clans didn’t get along and often small fights would break out when opposing groups would get together. That was why all deals between clans went through the Maoh, otherwise the county would be constantly embroiled in small civil wars.

  Rubbing his eyes, Ash stood up from his chair to find Tolarea standing silently behind him like a statue. “My lord,” she said with a gentle bow that didn’t fit her large frame.

  Ash knew that it was expected that at least one to three of his guards were with him at all times, but it was hard to get used to it. Ash liked his privacy, but since coming to this world, it had slowly disappeared. First there was Emelia who was fine with him spending time on his own, which was one of the things he liked most about her, but she still demanded a small portion of his time. Next came Yuki who was loveable like a small pet, but at first she always seemed to be all over him, but that had changed once she joined the adventure school and had made a friend. Slowly Ash had gained more and more women around him, each vying for his time until he barely had a moment to himself to use
the bathroom in peace.

  Before Ash could say anything, a knock came at his door. “Come in,” Ash said without thinking.

  When the door swung open, the sage bowed to him. “My lord, many of the clan heads have arrived and are waiting for you in the war room,” the sage said as he raised his head.

  “How did they get here so fast?” Ash asked, his stomach starting to grumble in protest.

  “All the clans have a small villa within the capital. Since you have not spent much time here, you should know that there is a large city not far from the palace. It is mainly inhabited by partial demons who do not fit in any one clan.”

  “Do the clans force them to live there?” Ash asked as a bad feeling started to rise, but it quickly dissipated when the sage shook his head.

  “No…Not in the sense that you are thinking,” the sage replied. “We once had humans living within our kingdom. They were servants and just simple villagers who did work that many of the clans were not so talented with. As I told you, we were created for war so farming and building were not our strong suite. After we were cut off from the rest of the world, there were demons who fell for the humans and now I don’t think we have a full blooded human within the lands. The clans don’t hate them or force them out. In fact, since they are skilled in areas that we are not, many of them hold great positions within the clan’s eyes. That said, I cannot say that there are no demons who don’t look down on humans as inferior and the same can be said of those not having full demon blood, but they are rare and not the norm.”

  Ash nodded his head. “I think you can find those among anyone or any race,” Ash replied. “Some people will always find a reason to dislike those different from them in any way. It is sad, but I think it is just a natural response from those with weak minds.”

  “You might be right about that,” the sage said laughing. “Though I wouldn’t suggest you say that in public…or at least find a better way to put it into words. Otherwise the people who dislike humans will feel as if you are calling them idiots. Even if it is true, it would cause too much trouble to be worth the effort,” the sage added with a thinly veiled smile.