The sound of shattering glass. It appeared he had held onto his wine glass a bit too tightly. The king, Brennan Bosque, was frustrated. He could hardly reel in his rage.
The wine tainted his robe as he sat on the throne but he nonetheless let it be.
"Damn it!" The king instead threw out a meaningless punch before gripping his head tightly with both hands. He let out an annoyed grunt before inevitably looking up.
The ceiling of the throne room. The elegant curves and steep inclines combined with the sheer height of the room made for a feeling of grandness. Anyone that was to step foot into the throne room would feel tiny, like an ant.
All except for one... The king. The large throne elevated from the rest, the throne decorated with intricate designs that stood out even among the artistic pillars and elegant walls made the king feel grander than the world itself.
But it was a lie…. Brennan knew more than anyone that when the sands of time were blown away by the wind… he as a mere man could only clutch at the air helplessly watching the grains seep past his fingers.
What brought the king this drastic change? His son. He had acquired more power.
"I regret it! I regret everything!" Brennan was average among the great and great among the average but that alone was insufficient to rule a kingdom. His son had surpassed him, and he did so with a potion.1
"I should have listened to Eon!" Eon had advised him to take care of the dungeon immediately. But who could have expected it was such a treasure trove? Would he still be average among the great if he had a near limitless supply of these potions? The answer was obviously no. He needed to have it.
"I need to have it… need to have it…" Brennan was this close to throwing all his forces at the unconquered dungeon but… that damn rationality! It kept stopping him! Those sensical messages that kept his madness at bay! Those logical thoughts that dissuaded him from acting on his rageful impulse! They stopped him from taking a crazed route.
It took the king a while to compose himself. Though average among the great, he was still among the great.
He wasn't keen on simply watching things fly out of his hands even if he had accepted them as a certain fact.
He tapped on the armrest of the golden throne while thinking. He thought of many things before finally coming to a decision.
"I'll contact the Galeburst Dynasty…" If the sands of time insisted on seeping past his fingers then he would make sure to hold onto at least one grain.
***
[Instinct has leveled up]
After the deed was done and a new message appeared on his peripheral, Ed was finally brought back to reality.
'F*ck!' He had done so indeed.
That in itself wasn't necessarily bad but his main issue was how easily he seemed to have given in while being well aware that he harbored no intimate affection for Shel. To top it all off, his instinct skill had even leveled up. What did that mean?
'That was my body' A carnal desire to a more literal sense. Ed had previously speculated that each body had a unique trait or skill that gave them an edge among his other bodies.
Ultimately, that was a good thing. However, he had just seen the side effects.
'Am- Am I going to be a father!?!' There was obviously no prevention in the orc plains so it was a definite possibility. His vitality was rather thriving too…
While Ed wasn't sure if he should be excited or worried, he soon regained his focus. He needed to look into himself and his actions.
'The side effects could be affecting me without my notice' It could be an act of violence, an act of love… Compassion, indifference, whatever it was the body he possessed encompassed.
The skeletons for example were bound to act cruel when facing the living and the orcs were wild like beasts.
'Cruel thoughts and actions…' If he remembered doing any such thing as a skeleton, his theory might just be confirmed.
'But I don't recall being unnecessarily cruel…' His methods WERE ruthless but he felt they still fell within reason or had his mind been polluted to such an extent where he could no longer discern cruelty?
Ed ultimately shook his head and decided to move on with his schedule. At some point, after they were done Shel seemed to have fallen asleep. He gently stood up and carried her over to a bed from the floor they both had been on.
It was a bit embarrassing to consider that they had been on the ground but Ed decided not to mind it for too long.
[Mental fortitude has leveled up]
'I suppose that's a sign of fortitude…' Ed quickly ignored that message and instead decided it was time to continue with his own duties.
He opened the rickety door only taking a short glance at the satisfied Shel laying on the bed before closing the entrance and leaving. Some time had passed since the announcement by then and the streets of the settlement were busy with orcs preparing to move or those who were ready.
While walking down the streets occasionally taking in the fervent admiration from some of the orcs, Ed started to think about the future.
'I confirmed that the dungeon didn't… limit me…' While it was an experiment he hadn't been planning on conducting getting results was still optimal.
'Orcs don't have great familial ties' They did have lots of camaraderie which was good on its own but it didn't necessarily protect him from betrayal. Orcs were also susceptible to strength though meaning betrayal was not something Ed had considered.
Still, for other bodies knowing that he could set up a dynasty of sorts would be a good way to make sure things didn't get out of hand during his absences.
'The smarter the mobs become the harder it will become to tame them' Ed was one thousand percent sure that the skeletons would never betray him. He had created them. He was sure that the orcs wouldn't either, he overpowered them.
'But I can't guarantee the same on other floors' Unless he could split his mind to control multiple bodies at once it would be a tall order to manage his territories.
'Wait… are there even other floors…?' Had he gotten ahead of himself? Ed had no way to know for sure. What he did know was that time waited for no one.
As Ed roamed the streets, time seemed to move on rather quickly. With less than an hour until sunset, Ed and all of the Sanctuary orcs were ready to depart.
That included Shel who acted openly flirtatious in front of him and everyone else.
"Do you really have to act like this…?" Ed felt incredibly awkward.
"Of course! Those b*tches don't know boundaries!" Shel cursed while glaring at the orc women near them. As it was time to leave everyone had gathered and Shel was not missing the many different types of gazes.
'I'm not sure you are much different though…' She had literally thrown herself on top of him…
"So! What should we name our first child? I was thinking Sheled if it's a girl or Edshel if it's a boy." Shel's glare turned affectionate as she directed this question towards Ed.
"I don't plan on having he or she hate me…" Ed muttered audibly thinking it was best for no child to be born at all. If they were to bear such names then he truly had no doubt they too would agree.
The orcs upfront who heard this exchange could only laugh with knowing expressions. What a casanova! While the women glared silently. Some men did too though since their partners had no business reacting so strongly in Ed's stead!
"Ahem, Let's begin then." Ed quickly interrupted Shel before she somehow conjured up some even worse names and decided to give the orcs a short speech.
"My tribesmen, I, Ed, will forever remember this moment as a monumental occasion. That's because… this isn't the end of your life in this settlement but rather, it is the start. It is the true beginning of a Sanctuary." Ed spoke with heartfelt emotions. Meaning that while some of the words were lost in translation, the intent was more than well understood.
"So I say! We cheer, to new beginnings!" Ed also made sure to spur them on.
"""To new beginnings!!!""" The crowd quickly resonated with just as much passion.
Ed nodded with a light smile and turned to face the direction of the Sacred Tribe's settlement. As he left the settlement he had Dakgu and Shel alongside him this time, this would also be the last time he would go there.
The distant setting sun also gave him a feeling of closure. As if an arc in his journey was coming to an end and a new chronicle was being written. A new tale or a legend. An origin story, an origin story of a great yet savage civilization.
Because at the end of the day, life was a journey.
