[Velvet POV]
After several hours of somewhat intense battling against wights and other spectral monsters that would pop up from time to time, Soleil and I eventually made it back to the inn that we made out base. Aside from Luna, everyone else seemed to be back. Mio was laying in a large box in the corner of the room and Skadi and Ophidia were looking through a pile of some kind of fruit(?) things.
“Is big sis not back yet?” (Soleil)
“No. By the way, what was up with all the fighting sounds coming from the area you two were in? There were some coming from the tower as well.” (Skadi)
“There were a lot of wights and other ghost type monsters where we went that started appearing after a while. Did you guys not run into any?” (Velvet)
“Nope. We ran into a stupid worm, but that’s it.” (Ophidia)
“All I did was nyap when I found this nyice box nya.” (Mio)
As I was about to say something, I started to hear Luna’s voice with an unnecessary echoy flourish added to it.
“Foolish trespassers. You dare sully my city with your presence. Come to the tower where I will dole out your punishments personally.” (Luna)
We all stood or sat there in silence for several minutes.
“Is this the part where we play along nya?” (Mio)
“Knowing big sis, then yes.” (Soleil)
“Let’s head out then. We don’t want her to be grumpy for us not playing along.” (Velvet)
“Eh, she’ll be fine if we don’t. She’ll be grumpy for a few hours, yes, but that’s about it.” (Soleil)
“Well, let’s play along for a bit. If anything this promises to be somewhat entertaining.” (Ophidia)
“The Apostles have spoken. Let’s go, Mio.” (Skadi)
“Nya nya.” (Mio)
We all left the inn and made our way towards the tower. Once we made our way past the inner wall, the scenery changed. The tower was surrounded by dark clouds and silver flashes of lightning and there was some sort of barely audible music that could be heard.
“She’s going all out with this, isn’t she?” (Skadi)
“Would you expect anything less? It’s master we’re talking about here.” (Ophidia)
“True.” (Skadi)
We continued to make light of the situation that would seem completely ominous to anyone that didn’t know Luna well as we approached the looming tower. When we reached the gate and doors, they opened up themselves accompanied by the sounds of metal scraping against metal. When we were all fully inside, they shut with loud clanging sounds and thunder rolled as lightning flashed and the music in the background hit a high note.
“How theatric.” (Velvet)
“Yeah.” (Soleil)
As soon as we passed the threshold of the tower, we were all swallowed by an intense light and when it died down, it looked like we were wearing completely different clothes. Skadi had some extremely large, heavy looking plate armor that shone in an almost incandescent silver and an equally large sword strapped to her back. Ophidia was wearing some strange kind of dress that had no sleeves and had large slits starting at her waists all the way down her legs that were probably there for movement reasons. Her fists were covered with some kind of gauntlets that were just as shiny as Skadi’s armor.
Soleil was wearing a pitch-black robe that covered everything and a giant pointed hat that was just as black as the robe. She also had a large wooden staff with a large green orb on the end in her hands. Mio was wearing some form-fitting black clothes, dark knives strapped to her belt, thighs, and arms, a dark hood and half-mask that covered her mouth and nose, and wrapped around her neck was a black scarf that ended just above her lower back. I was wearing some shiny silver armor that shone in a rainbow light depending on how the light hit it. I had a red cape that reached all the way down to my ankles and the sword that was strapped to my hip had a gaudy, impractical hilt in an overly ornamented scabbard.
“Well this is something.” (Soleil)
“I knyow this is just illusory clothes nya, but they feel somehow fitting nya. Like I could actually see myself wearing something like this nya.” (Mio)
“I could get used to seeing Ophidia dressed like that. It’s quite nice.” (Skadi)
“Eh, I don’t really like it. Yes, it seems easy to move in, but I feel very…open.” (Ophidia)
“I feel the same. I can’t really see out of this helmet. And I don’t like how it echoes in here when I talk and breathe. Plus, even if it’s an illusion, it feels almost suffocating…and now those problems are gone. Thanks Luna.” (Skadi)
“No problem. If anyone else is having some small problems with their getup, say it and I’ll adjust the illusion.” (Luna)
“This hat keeps falling over my eyes and the robes are a bit too long, so I feel like I’m going to trip.” (Soleil)
“And this armor is a bit stiff in the elbow and waist area, so I can’t really bend my arms or turn well.” (Velvet)
“There and there. How about now?” (Luna)
“Good.” (Soleil)
“Perfect.” (Velvet)
“Now, let’s resume. And sorry for the abruptness, this is all a spur of the moment thing that I wanted to do, so for playing along, I’ll treat you all to some good food later.” (Luna)
With that last statement, we all became fired up to go along with whatever Luna had planned from this point onward. We walked through the tower slowly as we observed everything. The architecture matched most of the rest of the city, especially the parts of the inner wall, while also being extremely decorated with murals of scenery that none of us have ever seen. Some depicted landscapes with beautify manors built in mountain havens with waterfalls falling around them. Others depicted large castles built into the sides of mountains with prospering towns built below them. One that really caught my eye was a forest of white trees that had golden leaves and homes connected by bridges built onto them.
“Are these murals real or part of the illusion?” (Soleil)
“These feel like part of the illusion. But then again, Luna is so good at making them that I can’t be absolutely sure. Honestly, I’m glad she’s our friend because she’s such a hard opponent to fight.” (Skadi)
“Yeah. Being a demigod aside, if all she had was a ton of mana and this level of mastery over illusions, I’d give up any chance of winning against her in a fight. I mean really, it’s scary when you think that she could easily make someone question what is and isn’t reality with illusion magic of this level.” (Ophidia)
“Speaking of that nya, Soleil, don’t you also have illusion magic nya?” (Mio)
“I do, but I find it hard to use well. I can’t really explain why, but it just is for me.” (Soleil)
“It’s because you focus too much on the details. If all you’re doing is making a quick illusion meant to throw someone off, then there is no need to make it extremely detailed. Like if you are using it in the heat of battle, you really only need to have a general idea of what you want and, most of the time, the one on the receiving end will either not notice or ignore the inconsistencies which will give you the desired result. Same with other times as well. As long as you have most of the bigger details right, then the other person will normally be fooled. The only reason my illusions are like they are, is due to being reincarnated and my infinite mana letting me keep them up for as long as I want and making them pretty much as real as I want.” (Luna)
“I guess that’s what happens when I have painting as a hobby. It’s kind of the opposite of illusions after all.” (Soleil)
“Not really. They have their differences, obviously, but painting is similar as well. Just like illusions, you picture something and then give it form. One is temporary while the other will last until some outside influence does something to it.” (Skadi)
“I never thought of it that way.” (Soleil)
“Let’s continue this later, we’re about to arrive.” (Velvet)
We stopped walking when we encountered two large doors. They gave off a somewhat intimidating feeling like we were about to face a challenging battle.
“This feels like we’re about to enter a boss room in a dungeon.” (Ophidia)
As we were about to open the doors, words started to float in front of them with a note saying that I should read them out loud.
“My friends and comrades, after our long, difficult journey, we’ve finally made it. Now all we need to do is defeat the Evil Demon Lord, Luna to save the world and bring peace. This will be our hardest battle yet, so resolve yourselves to even give your life so that we can win. Now, let’s go.” (Velvet)
I could feel my face burning in embarrassment as I read those word and I could tell the others were stifling their laughter.
“Ok yeah, I’m sorry for putting you through that, Velvet. That whole thing sounded way less cringy in my head. Heck, even I feel embarrassed for even thinking it up. So, what we are all going to do is proceed and forget this little event never happened. For Velvet’s sake since she is the one I asked to read it.” (Luna)
“Pfft. Yeah, I’ll try.” (Skadi)
“Sorry, Velvet, that was really funny.” (Soleil)
“Nyahaha.” (Mio)
“Hahaha.” (Ophidia)
In order to escape from this situation, I kicked the doors as hard as I could and they flew open. Cold mist flowed out around our feet and we entered a room that seemed larger than should be possible in the tower. It was decorated with large black and red banners with some random emblem looking picture on them, large windows that let in large beams of moonlight, a long red carpet leading all the way to the back of the room where a large, ornate throne stood. Sitting on that throne was Luna in dark, dress-like clothes. All of her tails were visible and splayed out behind her and she sat cross-legged on the throne with a bored look in her glowing silver eyes. That look sent chills down my spine as it looked like she was actually about to hand down some kind of punishment. Overall, the atmosphere of the room was intimidating yet captivating.
“You’ve all finally arrived, heroes. For the crime of trespassing in my city and killing my minions, I shall hand down your punishments. I am, however, a benevolent ruler. I will give you all a choice; join me and I will forgive all your past transgressions. If you decide to refuse my offer, then all that awaits you is death. So choose, oh brave heroes, will you betray all that you stand for to join your mortal enemy, or die by my hand while maintaining your dignity as heroes?” (Luna)
The room fell silent as even the music in the background stopped. I looked into Luna’s eyes and saw myriad emotions in them. Most of those emotions were embarrassment with an equal amount of expectation for our answer. I rolled my eyes but, remembering the promise of good food after this, stepped forward.
“Let me ask you this before I give my answer. What do we stand to gain from joining you?” (Velvet)
An unconcealable smile spread across Luna’s face for a second before she went back to her stern expression. She made a thinking expression for a moment before answering.
“I will give you all three meals a day, several breaks, and as much entertainment and excitement as you can possibly handle. Not to mention that you will never have to worry about money again and you will not be held to any restricting standards like formal events or stuffy expectations from people everywhere. The title of hero is but a shackle for you who have become strong that those in power have placed on you to keep you in check. By joining me, you will be freed from that burden.” (Luna)
“Do we also get nyap times nya?” (Mio)
“Of course.” (Luna)
“I’m in nya.” (Mio)
“Same.” (Skadi)
“I’ll accept as well.” (Ophidia)
“Me too.” (Soleil)
Everyone then turned their gazes to me.
“Of course I’m accepting.” (Velvet)
“Fufufufufu. Very well. I welcome you all with open arms.” (Luna)
Once Luna’s words were done, we all heard a disembodied voice come from nowhere.
[And so, the heroes decided to join the demon lord. After this, they world went through an age of upheaval that ultimately led to a long-lasting age of piece and prosperity under the rule of Luna and her hero companions. They conquered the lands of the ones that sent the heroes where they learned that they truly were used by those rulers and were set to be killed once they returned. While the people of those lands looked upon the heroes with scorn at first, over time they came to find that they were treated much better under the demon lord than they ever were under their previous rulers. As the ages passed, the heroes and demon lord were recorded in the annals of history as great beings that ended an era of oppression and brought about a golden age.]
As the voice faded, the room did as well. When everything disappeared, we found ourselves standing in a much smaller room covered in bookshelves, tables, and desks. Luna made her way over to us while laughing.
“Fufufufufu. Ahahahahahahahahaha! Thanks for playing along until the end. As promised, I’ll cook up some of my best ingredients, so I hope you are all hungry. After that, I’ll talk about what I found.” (Luna)
We all let out happy cheers as we left the tower.
Chaos Realm:
Astraes: Ahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha!
Well, at least she enjoyed that.
Tamamo: True. Though I feel bad for Luna. She was constantly saying how embarrassed she was when she was speaking.
Grey: Well, it was pretty cringy. I bet this will become one of those memories that keeps her from falling asleep in the future.
Atmos: Eh, we all have some of those.
Order: Yep.
Tamamo: Well, I'll be there to get her mind off of those thoughts, so she'll be fine.
Does nobody feel bad for Velvet? She also participated with equally as cringy lines.
Atmos: I figured that was something that we all just had a silent agreement on.
Astraea: Dada...dumb.
...
Order: Pfft.
Grey: Gahahahahahahahahaha!
Tamamo: Ufufufufufufu.
Atmos: Ahahahahahahahahahahahaha!
[Velvet POV]
After several hours of somewhat intense battling against wights and other spectral monsters that would pop up from time to time, Soleil and I eventually made it back to the inn that we made out base. Aside from Luna, everyone else seemed to be back. Mio was laying in a large box in the corner of the room and Skadi and Ophidia were looking through a pile of some kind of fruit(?) things.
“Is big sis not back yet?” (Soleil)
“No. By the way, what was up with all the fighting sounds coming from the area you two were in? There were some coming from the tower as well.” (Skadi)
“There were a lot of wights and other ghost type monsters where we went that started appearing after a while. Did you guys not run into any?” (Velvet)
“Nope. We ran into a stupid worm, but that’s it.” (Ophidia)
“All I did was nyap when I found this nyice box nya.” (Mio)
As I was about to say something, I started to hear Luna’s voice with an unnecessary echoy flourish added to it.
“Foolish trespassers. You dare sully my city with your presence. Come to the tower where I will dole out your punishments personally.” (Luna)
We all stood or sat there in silence for several minutes.
“Is this the part where we play along nya?” (Mio)
“Knowing big sis, then yes.” (Soleil)
“Let’s head out then. We don’t want her to be grumpy for us not playing along.” (Velvet)
“Eh, she’ll be fine if we don’t. She’ll be grumpy for a few hours, yes, but that’s about it.” (Soleil)
“Well, let’s play along for a bit. If anything this promises to be somewhat entertaining.” (Ophidia)
“The Apostles have spoken. Let’s go, Mio.” (Skadi)
“Nya nya.” (Mio)
We all left the inn and made our way towards the tower. Once we made our way past the inner wall, the scenery changed. The tower was surrounded by dark clouds and silver flashes of lightning and there was some sort of barely audible music that could be heard.
“She’s going all out with this, isn’t she?” (Skadi)
“Would you expect anything less? It’s master we’re talking about here.” (Ophidia)
“True.” (Skadi)
We continued to make light of the situation that would seem completely ominous to anyone that didn’t know Luna well as we approached the looming tower. When we reached the gate and doors, they opened up themselves accompanied by the sounds of metal scraping against metal. When we were all fully inside, they shut with loud clanging sounds and thunder rolled as lightning flashed and the music in the background hit a high note.
“How theatric.” (Velvet)
“Yeah.” (Soleil)
As soon as we passed the threshold of the tower, we were all swallowed by an intense light and when it died down, it looked like we were wearing completely different clothes. Skadi had some extremely large, heavy looking plate armor that shone in an almost incandescent silver and an equally large sword strapped to her back. Ophidia was wearing some strange kind of dress that had no sleeves and had large slits starting at her waists all the way down her legs that were probably there for movement reasons. Her fists were covered with some kind of gauntlets that were just as shiny as Skadi’s armor.
Soleil was wearing a pitch-black robe that covered everything and a giant pointed hat that was just as black as the robe. She also had a large wooden staff with a large green orb on the end in her hands. Mio was wearing some form-fitting black clothes, dark knives strapped to her belt, thighs, and arms, a dark hood and half-mask that covered her mouth and nose, and wrapped around her neck was a black scarf that ended just above her lower back. I was wearing some shiny silver armor that shone in a rainbow light depending on how the light hit it. I had a red cape that reached all the way down to my ankles and the sword that was strapped to my hip had a gaudy, impractical hilt in an overly ornamented scabbard.
“Well this is something.” (Soleil)
“I knyow this is just illusory clothes nya, but they feel somehow fitting nya. Like I could actually see myself wearing something like this nya.” (Mio)
“I could get used to seeing Ophidia dressed like that. It’s quite nice.” (Skadi)
“Eh, I don’t really like it. Yes, it seems easy to move in, but I feel very…open.” (Ophidia)
“I feel the same. I can’t really see out of this helmet. And I don’t like how it echoes in here when I talk and breathe. Plus, even if it’s an illusion, it feels almost suffocating…and now those problems are gone. Thanks Luna.” (Skadi)
“No problem. If anyone else is having some small problems with their getup, say it and I’ll adjust the illusion.” (Luna)
“This hat keeps falling over my eyes and the robes are a bit too long, so I feel like I’m going to trip.” (Soleil)
“And this armor is a bit stiff in the elbow and waist area, so I can’t really bend my arms or turn well.” (Velvet)
“There and there. How about now?” (Luna)
“Good.” (Soleil)
“Perfect.” (Velvet)
“Now, let’s resume. And sorry for the abruptness, this is all a spur of the moment thing that I wanted to do, so for playing along, I’ll treat you all to some good food later.” (Luna)
With that last statement, we all became fired up to go along with whatever Luna had planned from this point onward. We walked through the tower slowly as we observed everything. The architecture matched most of the rest of the city, especially the parts of the inner wall, while also being extremely decorated with murals of scenery that none of us have ever seen. Some depicted landscapes with beautify manors built in mountain havens with waterfalls falling around them. Others depicted large castles built into the sides of mountains with prospering towns built below them. One that really caught my eye was a forest of white trees that had golden leaves and homes connected by bridges built onto them.
“Are these murals real or part of the illusion?” (Soleil)
“These feel like part of the illusion. But then again, Luna is so good at making them that I can’t be absolutely sure. Honestly, I’m glad she’s our friend because she’s such a hard opponent to fight.” (Skadi)
“Yeah. Being a demigod aside, if all she had was a ton of mana and this level of mastery over illusions, I’d give up any chance of winning against her in a fight. I mean really, it’s scary when you think that she could easily make someone question what is and isn’t reality with illusion magic of this level.” (Ophidia)
“Speaking of that nya, Soleil, don’t you also have illusion magic nya?” (Mio)
“I do, but I find it hard to use well. I can’t really explain why, but it just is for me.” (Soleil)
“It’s because you focus too much on the details. If all you’re doing is making a quick illusion meant to throw someone off, then there is no need to make it extremely detailed. Like if you are using it in the heat of battle, you really only need to have a general idea of what you want and, most of the time, the one on the receiving end will either not notice or ignore the inconsistencies which will give you the desired result. Same with other times as well. As long as you have most of the bigger details right, then the other person will normally be fooled. The only reason my illusions are like they are, is due to being reincarnated and my infinite mana letting me keep them up for as long as I want and making them pretty much as real as I want.” (Luna)
“I guess that’s what happens when I have painting as a hobby. It’s kind of the opposite of illusions after all.” (Soleil)
“Not really. They have their differences, obviously, but painting is similar as well. Just like illusions, you picture something and then give it form. One is temporary while the other will last until some outside influence does something to it.” (Skadi)
“I never thought of it that way.” (Soleil)
“Let’s continue this later, we’re about to arrive.” (Velvet)
We stopped walking when we encountered two large doors. They gave off a somewhat intimidating feeling like we were about to face a challenging battle.
“This feels like we’re about to enter a boss room in a dungeon.” (Ophidia)
As we were about to open the doors, words started to float in front of them with a note saying that I should read them out loud.
“My friends and comrades, after our long, difficult journey, we’ve finally made it. Now all we need to do is defeat the Evil Demon Lord, Luna to save the world and bring peace. This will be our hardest battle yet, so resolve yourselves to even give your life so that we can win. Now, let’s go.” (Velvet)
I could feel my face burning in embarrassment as I read those word and I could tell the others were stifling their laughter.
“Ok yeah, I’m sorry for putting you through that, Velvet. That whole thing sounded way less cringy in my head. Heck, even I feel embarrassed for even thinking it up. So, what we are all going to do is proceed and forget this little event never happened. For Velvet’s sake since she is the one I asked to read it.” (Luna)
“Pfft. Yeah, I’ll try.” (Skadi)
“Sorry, Velvet, that was really funny.” (Soleil)
“Nyahaha.” (Mio)
“Hahaha.” (Ophidia)
In order to escape from this situation, I kicked the doors as hard as I could and they flew open. Cold mist flowed out around our feet and we entered a room that seemed larger than should be possible in the tower. It was decorated with large black and red banners with some random emblem looking picture on them, large windows that let in large beams of moonlight, a long red carpet leading all the way to the back of the room where a large, ornate throne stood. Sitting on that throne was Luna in dark, dress-like clothes. All of her tails were visible and splayed out behind her and she sat cross-legged on the throne with a bored look in her glowing silver eyes. That look sent chills down my spine as it looked like she was actually about to hand down some kind of punishment. Overall, the atmosphere of the room was intimidating yet captivating.
“You’ve all finally arrived, heroes. For the crime of trespassing in my city and killing my minions, I shall hand down your punishments. I am, however, a benevolent ruler. I will give you all a choice; join me and I will forgive all your past transgressions. If you decide to refuse my offer, then all that awaits you is death. So choose, oh brave heroes, will you betray all that you stand for to join your mortal enemy, or die by my hand while maintaining your dignity as heroes?” (Luna)
The room fell silent as even the music in the background stopped. I looked into Luna’s eyes and saw myriad emotions in them. Most of those emotions were embarrassment with an equal amount of expectation for our answer. I rolled my eyes but, remembering the promise of good food after this, stepped forward.
“Let me ask you this before I give my answer. What do we stand to gain from joining you?” (Velvet)
An unconcealable smile spread across Luna’s face for a second before she went back to her stern expression. She made a thinking expression for a moment before answering.
“I will give you all three meals a day, several breaks, and as much entertainment and excitement as you can possibly handle. Not to mention that you will never have to worry about money again and you will not be held to any restricting standards like formal events or stuffy expectations from people everywhere. The title of hero is but a shackle for you who have become strong that those in power have placed on you to keep you in check. By joining me, you will be freed from that burden.” (Luna)
“Do we also get nyap times nya?” (Mio)
“Of course.” (Luna)
“I’m in nya.” (Mio)
“Same.” (Skadi)
“I’ll accept as well.” (Ophidia)
“Me too.” (Soleil)
Everyone then turned their gazes to me.
“Of course I’m accepting.” (Velvet)
“Fufufufufu. Very well. I welcome you all with open arms.” (Luna)
Once Luna’s words were done, we all heard a disembodied voice come from nowhere.
[And so, the heroes decided to join the demon lord. After this, they world went through an age of upheaval that ultimately led to a long-lasting age of piece and prosperity under the rule of Luna and her hero companions. They conquered the lands of the ones that sent the heroes where they learned that they truly were used by those rulers and were set to be killed once they returned. While the people of those lands looked upon the heroes with scorn at first, over time they came to find that they were treated much better under the demon lord than they ever were under their previous rulers. As the ages passed, the heroes and demon lord were recorded in the annals of history as great beings that ended an era of oppression and brought about a golden age.]
As the voice faded, the room did as well. When everything disappeared, we found ourselves standing in a much smaller room covered in bookshelves, tables, and desks. Luna made her way over to us while laughing.
“Fufufufufu. Ahahahahahahahahaha! Thanks for playing along until the end. As promised, I’ll cook up some of my best ingredients, so I hope you are all hungry. After that, I’ll talk about what I found.” (Luna)
We all let out happy cheers as we left the tower.
Chaos Realm:
Astraes: Ahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha!
Well, at least she enjoyed that.
Tamamo: True. Though I feel bad for Luna. She was constantly saying how embarrassed she was when she was speaking.
Grey: Well, it was pretty cringy. I bet this will become one of those memories that keeps her from falling asleep in the future.
Atmos: Eh, we all have some of those.
Order: Yep.
Tamamo: Well, I'll be there to get her mind off of those thoughts, so she'll be fine.
Does nobody feel bad for Velvet? She also participated with equally as cringy lines.
Atmos: I figured that was something that we all just had a silent agreement on.
Astraea: Dada...dumb.
...
Order: Pfft.
Grey: Gahahahahahahahahaha!
Tamamo: Ufufufufufufu.
Atmos: Ahahahahahahahahahahahaha!
