Reborn: Demon Core

by D. W. Jackson

  “A gambler,” Yu said looking back down at the metal plate. “I heard that gamblers can get insanely strong, but all the ones I have met have been mediocre at best.”

  “Take it as you will, but even you have to admit that I passed the test the elders set for me,” Zelan said with a wry smile.

  “I will report everything as it happened, don’t worry,” Yu said with an unhappy expression on her face. “Now if you will, I need to rest. You can have the rest of the day to say goodbye to your student,” Yu said as one of her students helped Yu to her feet.

  “Are you sure you don’t want to take a rest in my room?” Zelan asked with a cheesy smile.

  “I think I would rather have my teeth pulled by a goblin,” Yu said with disdain. “Tomorrow morning be at the gate. Don’t make me wait.”

  “She is a feisty one,” Zelan said laughing. “Well Ash, I would like to stay around for a long goodbye, but honestly I am not much for the whole show. So as one last gift for your master, think you could spare a few coins so I can enjoy my last night in Tellian.”

  Ash reached into his pocket and pulled a platinum coin from his inventory. “Here,” Ash said tossing Zelan the single coin.

  “Good show,” Zelan said smiling. “Keep yourself safe boy and don’t lose to that new wife of yours,” Zelan said before picking up his travel pack that was already sat beside him and walking out of the gate.

  Watching Zelan leave, Ash felt slightly lonely but he knew that it wouldn’t last forever. “Master, do you want to get something to eat?” Shina asked as she came up beside him with Milly riding on her shoulders.

  “Yea, that sounds like a good idea,” Ash replied smiling, knowing that Shina had only said that to distract him from Zelan leaving.

  As Ash ate, he asked for Gilda to head to the Stonemason’s Guild and bring back someone who can work on the new fort. He knew that he didn’t have enough to finish the project, but he had land and enough to get a good start.

  By the time Gilda returned, Ash was in the meeting room working on a sketch of the new fort. It would have to be large enough to hold at least two thousand people or more. It would also need room for horses and training with multiple vocations. After looking it over, it was more like a small compound than just a fort. In the end, Ash had decided to have it cover twenty acres just outside the west side of the city. Right now it was forested land so it would need to be cleared, but unless he wanted to take over farmland it was the only choice.

  “Master, I have brought Sir Gillan of the Stonemason’s Guild,” Gilda said lightly knocking on the door.

  “Please send him in Gilda,” Ash said putting the large paper aside.

  “Sir, the lady said that you needed something built,” the man said keeping his head bowed.

  “Please relax,” Ash said with a welcoming smile. “Have a seat so we can talk.”

  “Thank you sir,” the man said as he took the seat opposite Ash.

  “This is what I am planning,” Ash said, showing the man the drawing he had made.

  “I see,” Gillan said scratching his beard. “When the lady spoke originally, I thought the young master might want a house of shop built but this is something else.”

  “Can you do it?” Ash asked cutting straight to the point.

  “I can, but I have to ask do you want it done to last or done cheaply?” Gillan replied.

  “If possible I want the walls and fort to withstand a concentrated attack.”

  “Then you will need intermediate to master earth mages to make the stones,” the man said. “Otherwise you will have to have them each enchanted individually and that will cost ten times more. The forest itself isn’t a problem. We can even save some money by using some of the wood in the construction. If the young master really wants this done, I can get together a number of people and get to start on it but it won’t be cheap.”

  “How much?” Ash asked without a second of hesitation.

  “At least five hundred platinum coins to start,” the man replied with a pensive look on his face. “That will let me gather a few mages that have worked with our guild before as well as start the cutting of the trees and prepping the ground. There are a number of other things as well, but I think five hundred will be a start, though it won’t last long.”

  Ash pulled put a piece of parchment and quickly wrote on it then using a candle let the wax drip on the bottom right hand corner. Before the wax could cool, Ash pushed a small seal into it then handed the paper over to the older man. “I want to know where every single penny goes.”

  “Of course sir,” the man replied giving a deep bow.

  The man left carrying Ash’s sketches with him. Once he was gone, Ash sat back and started to think about the days to come. With Zelan gone, he felt a little lost. He no longer had to strive so hard to train, but just quitting felt a little like giving up on what he had already learned. Lillanis and the other two had went to the labyrinth without him today but thanks to the crystals he had given them, he was still receiving experience.

  “Master, is everything ok?” Allice asked as she placed a glass of cold water on the table for him.

  “Everything is fine,” Ash replied with an unconvincing smile.

  “How is your brother doing?” Ash asked, trying to change the sour mood that was hanging in the room.

  “He is doing well master,” Allice replied happily. “He is learning a lot from the slaves and Gilda has even suggested that he go to the church for better schooling. Gilda said that even without a voice, he could become great one day…I” Allice said her voice breaking slightly. “Thank…Master for helping my brother,” She said breaking down into tears.

  “What’s wrong?” Ash asked slightly panicked.

  “It’s just that master is so kind and yet…yet I,” Allice continued as tears streaked down her face. “I poisoned Yuki. I…don’t deserve…” the rest of Allice’s words were inaudible due to her wracking sobs.

  Ash knelt down next to Allice and lightly placed his hand on her head. “Allice, we all make mistakes. Sometimes they are unavoidable. You did it to help your brother and neither I nor Yuki hold that against you.”

  “Master,” Allice said as tears and snot ran down her face.

  6-4

  After Ash got Allice to calm down, he had Gilda take her to her room to rest. It seemed that she had held her feelings pent up for a long time and they had worn her down until she broke. Ash knew all too well what that was like and could only look on with sympathy as she was carried out of the room.

  As soon as Allice was carted off, Shina slipped into the room. Ash saw her as soon as she entered, but didn’t say anything though he noticed that Milly was not with her. “Did you need something Shina?” Ash asked as he looked up from the papers that covered his table.

  “Master you got married,” Shina said as she walked around the side of the table. When she walked in front of Ash, he stared to notice that her dress was cut far too low and the chest was so tight that Ash was surprised that it didn’t rip. “Then master should know what I want.”

  “Shina, I am married,” Ash said sliding back in his chair.

  “We already settled that point,” Shina said, placing her hands on Ash’s shoulders and leaning in so close he could smell the light fragrance of her hair. “Before I didn’t push because you were still young, but now…”

  Shina leaned in and kissed Ash lightly on the lips. “Master should take care of his slaves and the slaves should take care of their master,” Shina said as she pressed herself closer to Ash.

  Ash couldn’t deny that his heart was beating fast or that the taste of Shina’s kiss still lingered on his lips. Mustering up his willpower and strength, Ash pushed Shina away and stood from his chair placing the piece of furniture between them. “Shina…That is enough,” Ash said though a bit weakly.

  Shina looked at Ash then let out a deep sigh. “It is no fun to force it,” Shina said, giving him a warm smile. “I won’t give up though. One day master
will welcome me into his arms.”

  After she said her peace, Shina left the room and Ash couldn’t help but watch the sway of her hips as she walked away. He may not know his true feelings about Emelia, but he knew that he held no romantic feelings toward Shina. He thought of her as a friend and no matter how hard he tried, nothing else came to mind but after their encounter, it still took a while for him to get his heart to calm.

  Shortly after Shina left, Ash took his leave of the manor and headed outside of town. It took a good half an hour for Ash to reach the forest. Most of the forest surrounding the city had been left mostly alone over the years. The north side of the city was farmland and the east side had been cleared for farming as well, but the west was still heavily forested.

  The trees at the edge of the forest were not that large, but the deeper you went in the more robust they became. Pulling out an axe that he had bought on the way out, Ash swung with all his might and cleanly cut through the trunk of a smaller tree.

  Ash didn’t think of much while he worked, he just let his body move. After cutting down eight trees, Ash cut off their limbs and then sectioned the trees into eight foot sections. Using a long hemp rope, Ash pulled the felled logs into the clearing and started to stack them. Thanks to his strength, Ash had no trouble moving the heavy logs.

  Ash continued to work until the sun started to drop below the horizon. His stomach was growling with hunger when he headed back to the city. Since he had to pass right past Emelia’s, Ash decided to stop for a bit.

  Since it was not one of his days to visit, Ash was able to get all the way to the foyer before Emelia came to greet him. “Ash, I wasn’t expecting you today,” Emelia said with a worried look on her face. “Did something happen?”

  “No I was just outside the west gate and thought I would spend a little time with my wife,” Ash replied.

  “Why were you outside the gate?” Emelia asked frowning.

  “I was looking at the site for the new fort that is going to be built,” Ash said as he pulled Emelia into his arms.

  Emelia didn’t resist Ash’s pull, instead she happily entered his arms while giving him a light kiss on the cheek. “What has gotten into you?” She asked with a fiendish grin.

  When Emelia asked her question, Ash was slightly shocked. Normally he would indicate the contact with Emelia unless he was joking around. He didn’t know why, but he just felt the urge to have her close. Seeing Ash’s baffled look, Emelia let off a light giggle and gave him another kiss, this one firmly planted on his lips.

  “Why don’t we take a bath, eat, and then you can tell me what you have planned?” Emelia offered.

  “Deal,” Ash said, lifting Emelia up in his arms and carrying her up the stairs to the second floor like a princess.

  “I am enjoying the new you,” Emelia said with a light giggle.

  After their long bath and quick dinner, Ash and Emelia sat in the study. Ash had pulled out a long piece of paper and started to draw what he envisioned for the new fort. When he was finished he stood back while Emelia looked it over.

  “Why did you put it on the west side of the city? You could have taken up some of the farmland and saved time and coin.”

  “I don’t think it would be right to kick farmers off their land just to build the fort while there are other options,” Ash replied with his honest feelings.

  “I think it’s a little foolish myself, but I have left you in charge of it so I won’t argue with you about it. It looked very big, but I am sure that the knights will find a use for the land. Do you have a plan to get the rest of the coin needed or are you planning to do a little each year?”

  “I don’t know yet. I do have a small idea, but I will need your help with it,” Ash replied. “I was thinking of hunting in the labyrinth for monster cores. The first I plan to have you use for the tax break and use the extra coin for the fort and the rest I need to be sold without the King being able to find out who sold them. Zelan said that if too many surface, it would draw the wrong kind of attention.”

  “Humm…It isn’t much of a tax break, but it will still amount to a little over a hundred platinum coins. Selling cores will earn you a lot of gold, but not much platinum unless they are extremely high grade. I don’t think it will do any more than making a drop of water in an ocean.”

  “True, but can you do it?” ash asked. “It might only be a drop, but every drop I can make is one day faster the fort can be completed.”

  “I can do it through my contacts in the Adventurer’s Guild. The only thing is that they will take 10% of the money from the cores, but they can keep it from pointing back at any one person.”

  “Then I will start there,” Ash said.

  “Anything I can help with?” Emelia asked moving closer to Ash.

  “Unless you know a monster with strong earth magic abilities,” Ash said still looking down at the papers without noticing the fact that Emelia had loosened the strings on her blouse.

  “If you are looking for monsters with strong earth magic that would be a gnome,” Emelia said as let her blouse slid to the floor.

  “Where can I find them?” Ash asked still clueless while looking at the papers.

  “They live mostly in fairy gardens but those are hard to find,” Emelia said as she undid the clasp on her skirt. “You can also find them on the twenty-eighth floor of the labyrinth.”

  “Really?” Ash asked while turning his head toward Emelia. AS soon as Ash’s eyes focused on Emelia his mouth slightly hung open. There Emelia was, sitting right next to him wearing only her petticoat.

  Ash woke early the next morning his back hurting from sleeping on the couch in the study. Emelia was still snugly resting in his arms and the pressure from her head had caused him to lose all feeling in his right arm.

  Hearing that he could find monsters that might help him work on the fort and save some coin, Ash wanted to hurry and fight in the labyrinth, but he couldn’t bring himself to wake Emelia. Most the time when Ash woke, Emelia was already awake so it was rare to see her sleeping face. Every time he saw her sleeping face he was amazed. When she was mad she always tended to pinch her lips and furrow her brows slightly. When she was happy she didn’t give a full smile, but her lips would part slightly showing just the barest hint of her teeth. Ash had seen many of her expressions, but most the time they were subdued thanks to years of practice. It was only when she was sleeping that she had a purely innocent and natural look on her face.

  Using his left hand, Ash lifted Emelia’s head while sliding out from under her. As he placed her head down on the armrest of the couch her eyes fluttered open. “Ning,” Emelia said with a contented smile on her face. “Trying to sneak away?”

  “Yep, already got what I wanted so I wanted to sneak away like a thief,” Ash said in a playful tone.

  “Woe is me,” Emelia said, rising up to rest on her elbows. “My virtue has been taken and now the thief is trying to steal away my heart.”

  Laughing, Ash bent down and lightly kissed Emelia on the lips. “Sorry, but I do really have to go,” Ash said as he quickly pulled on his clothes. “I will already be scolded for disappearing without warning.”

  “Ok,” Emelia replied. “Just try not to forget about your wife.”

  “I won’t,” Ash said laughing as he started to slip out of the door. “Promise.”

  After leaning the manor, Ash rushed back to his own house. Ash entered the garden at the same time Yuki was leaving for school. “Master,” Yuki said, jumping up and clinging to Ash.

  “Morning Yuki,” Ash said.

  Yuki crinkled her nose cutely. “Master needs a bath he smells,” Yuki said pulling her head back.

  Ash took a sniff of his own skin but didn’t smell anything. “I will when I get home tonight,” Ash said shrugging his shoulders.

  “We fighting today, or do you have work?” Lillanis asked as she appeared from the door.

  “Fighting,” Ash replied. “I want to get to the twenty-eighth floor as soon as
I can.”

  “Sounds like a plan, but we aren’t going to push ourselves. No matter how good the gold, it isn’t worth your life,” Lillanis said.

  “Then are we finally going to quit hunting ogres?” Jacob asked with a slightly happy look.

  “After we get enough for my last skill,” Ash said, not wanting to give up on anything that might be of use. “We will just have to fight harder. I think we should buy some potions.”

  “You know we don’t like using potions to fight,” Halon said. “Why are you in such a rush?”

  Ash explained the plan to construct a fort and the cost involved and his plan to help reduce the costs and earn some coin to help build the fort.

  “I know she is your wife and all, but do you have to build something so expensive just to get her attention,” Lillanis said sighing. “I think she would be happy with just a small piece of jewelry.”

  “It is part of my job,” Ash said.

  “You know most public officials just do the bare minimal so that they don’t get fired. Even more of them use their office to scam money from people. As far as I know, none of them work and give their own time and coin,” Jacob said laughing. “If they did then they wouldn’t be nobles and officials.”

  “You two stop that,” Lillian’s said sighing. “We always complain about the nobles we have been forced to deal with so don’t go try corrupting the only good one we have met.”

  “Not to worry, he is not a noble,” Halon said.

  “Ok enough…lets go the ogres are waiting,” Lillanis said as she led the way to the labyrinth.

  Before heading to the labyrinth, they stopped by the alchemy shop. There was a number of potions and their prices changed according to how well they worked. There was potions that could do almost anything from refilling your HP to giving you a boost to your HP. The potions that gave you an hour boost of 400 points to your HP cost two gold coins. Ash bought a hundred potions that refilled MP by a 100 points. Each one cost twenty-five silvers but Ash considered it coin well spent. He also bought a hundred Potions that refilled 20SP that cost the same amount.