Question Scoundrel

Hhm, wonder where this person comes from to talk like this about the kingdom they are in? What tome are they reading, curiouser and curiouser? And their attitude towards the monks and the monks towards them almost sounds like a demon or something related.

The Catastrophe, I wonder if he is referring to the Sundering, sure seems like it. Taunting someone he calls Darnell while in what sounds like a wizard's duel, a wave of fire and hammer of force sure sound like spells. Oh, not a duel, fight of life and death. Darnell is actually Darg, no wonder it is such a good taunt in a duel. Samael goes to strikes down Darg but Darg's generals strike Samael in the back despite a truce, good grief.

A blast of fire to drive back the generals, but struck in the back of the head by Darg's hammer, yikes. A library contained within a gem, impressive magic. A soul gem to survive the fight no matter what and Darg recognizes it, that is some dangerous magic Samael is messing with. And tries to take over Darg's body but fails before the gem's charge ran out, harsh limitation. Planning on taking Darg's body or another's and keep going until he kills him, Samael is definitely twisted. A seal for the gem which Darg got from Mara, someone who Samael knows, that ends that plan for now.

Trying to map his prison, but Darg keeps refreshing the seal, wonder if Samael can go mad in that gem from extended isolation.

The seal is gone and he made a companion named Wilson while in there, nice Cast Away reference. He took over the body of Princess Grahf, too good. Tries to bluff the old wizard who was with the princess and fails, surrounded by guards with swords drawn now.

"I am Archmage Ferahn, court wizard of the Hammer empire and chief advisor to her highness, the Princess Almin Grahf, heir to the Hammer throne whose body you now hold."

Interesting, how long was he in that gem?

FIgures Darg is the Hammer empire's founder and Princess Grahf's ancestor. Trapped for centuries, ouch. 3 thousand years if not longer, how did Samael not go insane in there?

I could tell he knew that much. "Perhaps we have made a mistake. We have long been told the legend of the great guardian demon Samael, who could be called upon by the royal family during times of great calamity. In truth however, there have been times when the eternal empire's history and lineage has become... complicated."

I would hate to try and go through those records. Archbishop Dunce the eleventh, bwahahaha, talk about poor naming choice.

"My name was given to the first Dunce thousands of years ago by the great Emporer Darg himself! It has been passed down among the rolls for longer than the empire has existed! Being considered qualified enough to take the name is a great honor! The greatest honor!"

Given a name as an insult and thinks of it as an honor, oh brother. I wonder what these 'disgusting and aberrant' creatures are. The walls for the castle and the city, what kind of nightmares lurk outside the walls of cities in this world?

The army was as endless as the Archmage had described, and filled with a dark rendition of Tolkien; there were orcs and goblins and giant lizards and tentacle monsters and dragons in the skies. Mutants all of course, the expression of things that were just beginning to exist when I strode the Earth.

Okay, that army definitely fits the disgusting and aberrant creatures bill, especially the tentacle monsters. Several mages and several of the wise among their number, oh boy. Hhm, curious if Samael's powers have weakened enough only those of the direct bloodline can be possessed by him.

A week's freedom to learn should have bargained him down to 4 days. A geas to seal the deal, interesting.

"Quick then, to the walls. The natives look to be getting restless."

"...Natives?"

Dang, a joke like that lost to the ages. Tries to get them to go home with some power in his voice, more arrows, a fireball and lightning bolt for his trouble, seesh. More power in the voice and ask them one final time to go home.

She wore her black hair short and bore two scars, one on her forehead and one on her cheek, both standing out proudly from dusky skin. She looked fit enough and strong enough to break the Dunce in half, and wore a sword that was more than half cleaver.

I wonder who this might be.

Says he is Samael and they laugh, so he materializes a meteor over them, dang. And the woman thinks it is just an illusion, this won't end well for them at this rate. And many of them die, but the woman survived somehow avoiding the worst of it but still injured. And the man who shows up teleports out with her, wonder how soon they will attempt to attack again. Archmage Ferahn and Archbishop Dunce had to combine their magic to shield them from the effects of the meteor dropping from the sky, eep.

"About that... I thought you said you were weak, compared to your youth." Dunce half asked.

I showed the man teeth. "I am.I used something just about any of us would have been able to dispel with a simple thought. It seems the various races have lost much in the time I've been imprisoned."

Okay, that is a very scary thought. And he wants beer after all that, seems somethings never change.

"What? Build a proper wall and it won't fall over when someone chucks a rock at it."

Chucks a rock at it, a meteor is far from a simple rock. A lawn chair, okay, the more Samael talks the more I think the Catastrophe which happened wasn't the Sundering, is this some future where humanity was sent back to medieval level by something?

Dressed hiked up Princess Grahf's body and Dunce is flustered when Samael pulls up some more. Introduce these people to microbrews, what, does the Catastrophe happen in the later 21st century?

"The job is not complete. They need to be scoured from our lands and the three kingdoms of man retaken." The man turned and glared at his buddy, who instantly stopped trying to get a drink and flowed into ramrod straight attention.

Whoa, we know that the army was attacking the city and castle, but we don't have all the details. Are the humans the good guys in all this or just conquerors who see all lands as theirs by right?

Four chairs carried up there while in full plate, that soldier is strong and has endurance. Bargaining about the deal, this is going to bite the Archmage in the end at this rate. History of the empire, abridged version, wonder how much Samael can learn from this? The Archmage has an apprentice named Maf, huh.

"Our army once stood hundreds of thousands strong. While no match for the demons in numbers, we boasted the best, most advanced army of the world. However the last Emperor, may he rest in peace, led several forays to help the other kingdoms once the demons invaded. Even with the extra men and best equipment, one by one the kingdoms fell; and we were alone and our army was a ghost of itself."

Being different doesn't make them demons, still beings of flesh and blood. I still wonder why this massive army showed up in the first place.

Maf didn't look a day over twelve even though he was big enough to be an adult, wore a dingy brown bathrobe that was a shade lighter than his roughly cut muddy brown hair, and had a gold symbol on a chain that an old rapper would envy. He wasn't wearing shoes, which seemed like a poor life choice, but who was I to judge?

Maf is definitely a geek, still wondering what brought the world to this state. All those books are the abridged history of the Hammer Empire, good grief. And Maf faints at seeing the carnage in the field below, poor kid.

Cletus with ten thousand hand-picked warriors halted the army for four days, against an army this size that is impressive. 40 years ago, headed back after killing Cletus, what gives. Almost like someone is guiding them in a long-term plan. 'Belal, the King of Darkness', yikes, should have consulted about names first.

"And you shall have that week," He responded smoothly. "But when the Empress wills it, not simply as you please. Do you think me a fool?"

Figures they figured out a way to use the geas to control Samael.

The Princess Grahf apologizing to Samael how he was treated after his actions. Negotiate for Samael's help to save the people outside the city, interesting. Discuss laws of what Samael can do with her body, well I hope she is a good negotiator.

"That you have an escort while in my body, and you not attempt to leave them. That you not attempt to kill that escort, for any reason. That you listen to the escort's advice when it is offered, and lastly... thatyounothavecarnalrelationsinmybody."

All very reasonable rules, especially that last one but he just has to tease Princess Grahf about it.

Freedom from the prison, if they break this deal he is going to be enraged. They actually agreed to those terms, talk about truly desperate. A handshake with the princess to bind the deal, simple and clean. And yet not, darn it, Samael. He thinks of Rome in the past tense, more and more hints this is a post-apocalypse future.

"Oh hey, it's frumpy and pedo. How you both doing?"

"You are no doubt aware that your references and insults are long dead, yes?"

Such references long dead, yikes.

They can create a body for him, magic may not be as powerful as three thousand years ago but still impressive. Archbishop actually going to try to attack Samael while he is in Princess Grahf's body, idiot. The runes flaring whenever Samael tells the truth, interesting part of the geas. Just how loopholes are in the geas?

Archmage offering up sacrifices of their choosing if it is required, whoa, didn't see him saying that. Hhm, can the empress communicate through the gem? Well, they did an okay job cleaning up but why do I feel they missed a step or two and something could arise from that mess?

"I wish I could state that I was surprised by your actions," The Archmage ground out with a dry tone. "But naught you do surprises me any more."

"Your words sound like a challenge, good sir, and I shall take them as such."

The Archmage made a mistake, never say to someone like Samael nothing they do can surprise you anymore. A shield wall with spears, all surrounding a little girl.

The little girl was dressed in purple, and had a purple cloak trimmed with silver sized perfectly for her very small frame. Her long black hair was braided and tied off with silver ribbon, and I'd have put her age at no better than twelve. She was very small, and so cute I felt a stab of physical pain. She also bore an expression of set steel and looked to be trying to bore holes into me with her eyes alone.

Yikes, this little girl is dressed in colors normally reserved for royalty and glaring at Samael.

Oh, and of course, she had power. Wild, growing power. In years to come, she would be a force to be reckoned with - if I let her live.

And she knows who he is already, oh oh.

"I am Yerma, second in line to Hammer throne and acting Empress while you persist in my sister's body." She declared, and actually tried to push me away.

The little sister of the Empress has that much power, whoa. Yerma goes with the Archmage about leaving the tower standing, Samael trying to sell it as redecorating doesn't work. And Yerma tagging along to keep an eye on her sister's body, good.

Her eyes lit up to possibilities she had not considered; after all, she could just blame me. All according to plan.

And now corrupting youth, Samael, you need some harsh lessons already.

Only a single glass of wine and single sweet cake, Yerma doesn't eat more sweet, what kind of kid is she?!?

The demons just springing to life? The founding of the kingdom of darkness a mere five years after?

That is some messed up historical revisionism. Demon King Roberto, okay. Samael plotting to wipe out kingdoms and salt the earth, more and more I hope he somehow breaks the geas. So Roberto died and his child is running his empire now.

Ugh, Darg was a book burner, erasing history doesn't change it, you moron.

I wonder if I could find some graves from before, and empty those too? It might be nice to talk to some real people, some people who knew what reality and earth actually was.

Wait, this makes it sound like they are in some kind of virtual reality or something, just what is going on?

Spiked Yerma's wine and she still is acting sober and completely alert, dang. Samael being so arrogant still, underestimating others like Ferahn when raw power isn't always what wins. Those armies are set up in a good defensive area, I shudder to think how many have lost their lives trying to assail them.

I kicked the booze in his mug up another notch. "After I have my revenge on your emperor's line and the empire itself for my long imprisonment? Probably find a nice home somewhere and relax. Drink an ocean of liquor and eat the best foods."

Seesh, if it weren't for the revenge part he might be even a little likable.

The Archmage narrowed his eyes again. "He does. The glorious Church of the one true God."

It still exists, dang. Teasing about asking for absolution, Samael sure knows how to push buttons. The people cowering in fear isn't normal, is it? Afraid he might want sacrifices, only know him by the deeds recorded in books thousands of years ago, oh brother. A temple to Buddha as well, interesting. A statue of a woman Samael recognizes done Roman-style, wonder if it is of Mara.

What Samael says about the lady of the fountain has upset the Archmage.

Mary, if only you knew. "Why would I lie? And about something this simple, this meaningless, of all things? Your first emporer was hardly a paragon of virtue; you forget, I knew these people. The lady of the fountain, as you call her, would have removed your Emporer's balls with a spoon if she had not died beforehand. She could not stand the man - none of us could."

Heh, figures, history of their first Emperor built on lies.

The good Bishop grinned in unseemly glee. He really was drunk as a lord. "Indeed, many things have changed since you walked the earth, demon. But the doors of the church only swing open for humans, just as only those with souls and grace to save, can be saved."

And they brought back this old bigotry, only humans have souls and can be saved BS.

"No, you shall not. Let the God you serve decide; trust in him."

Using his own faith against him, sometimes the only way to fight such bullheaded individuals. And Samael trying to rile up the crowds like this, he needs to learn when not to push buttons. To the point Princess Grahf tried to take her body back, only held back by her word.

Good grief just has to go and kick the barred door in and break it. Calling out God on not getting off his ass and saving these people, heh.

"I dare," I told him calmly. "And if he wants, he can get down off his cloud and do something about it. but he won't, because he's afraid of me."

The ozone smell increased, but no lightning shot my way. On the contrary, the power present got that much closer for me; I could almost reach out and touch it. Most curious, that. I looked to the pedo, who was halfway through his prayer asking God to smite me, and it wasn't going to him either, so where was he getting his?

The Archbishop attacking him with a lightning spell in a church, he is going to be in some serious trouble for this. No answer from God, so Samael burns parts of the church but leaves the structure standing.