Crimson Eternal - Book 6 - Chapter 30 (Patreon)

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Table of Contents

Click the following link for the 1469 word chapter 30:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1o4HKEqM0Acuqw_FcULizSjAcXEA9gDnqNjegeMm9Df0/edit?usp=sharing

Or you can read the unformatted version below:

Within Pestilence’s Castle

Victor von Lüneburg, the Horseman of Pestilence, has never really cared for another person before. With only one exception. And he doesn’t plan for that to ever change.

He has lived for ages. Far longer than any other currently living person has ever experienced, other than War.

And for years, after he first learned of his status as the Horseman of Pestilence, he spent all of his time going from planet to planet researching. Just learning everything he can to experiment.

At first, it was just out of a simple curiosity towards what aiming for his purpose would bring him. Since he was often hunted down even before the System arrived. Which left him in desperate need of a way to protect himself.

But, over the years, he got stronger and stronger, and his priority began to change. Shifting from the need for survival to a simple desire for learning.

To learn more about the various pestilences of the universe. To create his own pestilences.

And to discover every little detail about the interaction between microscopic atoms in living creatures.

He grew even less attached to the idea of humans and fully lost himself in his experiments, with the only thing interesting him outside of those experiments being his companion.

Serpenia, the snake companion given to him through a skill.

And over the years, Victor even began to lose interest in life itself. To the point of immersing himself in his experiments all of the time. Never leaving them unless interrupted.

If someone interrupts him other than Serpenia, he kills them if possible. If Serpenia interrupts him, he spends some time with her before going back to his experiments.

This has become his routine throughout the years, only to be broken whenever another Horseman got involved. Or another crusade began.

And yet, despite this rinse and repeat pattern, this is the first time Victor got injured this badly. Which leaves him with a very disgruntled attitude as he finally wakes up in the baths after largely recovering from his wounds. To the point of only having some gashes left behind instead of missing entire body parts.

Victor narrows his eyes as he senses the pestilence energy in the Plane of Pestilence running out. Then he finally leaves the baths and makes a wave of pestilence energy cover his body before he reemerges fully clothed.

This whole situation is utterly ridiculous and a waste of my time…

Victor flies out of the castle and into the sky. Meanwhile he sees Serpenia slithering out from her burrow underneath the castle before growing larger and larger. All the way until she reaches the size of the castle itself.

After leaving the castle, Victor notices a strange area that’s completely untouched by the devastation all across the Plane of Pestilence and is in a spot atop a cliff with a perfect view of everything. And, while he isn’t too surprised to see the Horseman of Death lying on a lawn chair sipping wine, he has to briefly question his sight when he sees the Horseman of War sitting on a recliner near her eating popcorn.

Death has been rubbing off on War a little too much as of late…

The thought crosses Victor’s for a brief moment before he blinks at a realization.

If everyone were to become like Death, they wouldn’t bother me…

He stares at War and Death as they sip at wine and eat popcorn for a few more moments before turning his gaze back onto the pharaoh.

Everyone should become more like Death. Then I would be able to experiment as much as I wish.

Victor’s eyes narrow a little bit at the pharaoh.

These insects need to be dealt with before I can return to my peace.

Aria

I wonder what that look was about?

Pestilence looked over at me and War with some sort of expression as if he just realized something important. But I can’t for the life of me figure out what that look meant.

At the end of the day, though, it doesn’t really matter.

So I just continue to sip at my wine while watching Pestilence and his enormous serpent companion emerge from the castle. With Pestilence looking like he’s in much better shape than he was when I saw him while he was healing before.

That said, even if his body is in better shape again, I can tell that the pestilence energy in his body has been significantly reduced from before this whole crusade began. Leaving him a lot weaker now.

I watch Pestilence begin to throw numerous different types of pestilences at Raja, all of whom are ones that should affect undead, and the massive serpent rushes to attack the other Grand Spirits. Surprisingly proving itself strong enough to actually face them.

Seeing the massive serpent makes me glance at Asher, who is lying on my lap taking a nap.

Huh. Is Asher going to grow that big one day?

I try to imagine an enormous Asher the size of a castle, but I struggle to picture anything but an enormous and cute creature playing with a castle like a toy and running from War, causing even more trouble than before. Not to mention more destruction.

Asher lifts his head a little to look up at me before resting his head on my chest and staring at my face. Then he just meows as if nothing’s wrong.

“Asher, please don’t grow that much, okay?” I ask him while reaching to scratch his head between his ears.

The little guy just meows while tilting his head a little, seemingly confused about what I’m saying and why. Only for him to begin to close his eyes and purr from my scritches, sending vibrations directly into me from his place resting his head on my chest like a pillow.

I move the cat so that his head is back down on my stomach again since it’s not very comfortable. Then I focus on looking into recliners as the battle occurs above us.

Of course, I make sure to keep scratching Asher between his ears while doing my research.

Let’s see… there sure seems to be a lot of recliners in the universe.

Automatic mechanical recliners that work at the push of a button. Automatic magical recliners that read the minds or desires of the one sitting on the recliner to adjust its position to what they want. And manual versions of both, with one requiring you to pull a lever and adjust the settings yourself, and another that has you push a button to make it read the position you want it in. Pretty much letting you give it an order.

So, while the explosions are ringing out from the battles above, I look over at War’s recliner before asking, “Mind if I try that recliner out?”

War looks back at me and answers, “Go on ahead.”

He gets up from the recliner and I get up from my lawn chair before sitting on the recliner to try it out. All while War explains that this is one of the automatic magical recliners. With it reading the intentions of the one sitting on it but not their mind. All so that it knows what position the one sitting on the recliner wants it to be in.

“Aria, could you open a Gate to the Plane of Void for us?” I suddenly hear Shirogane’s voice, making me glance behind us to find him standing with a large force of soldiers outside of a Gate between the Plane of Pestilence and the mortal realm.

“Sure,” I tell him before opening a Gate next to them that leads to the Plane of Void, which is the one plane that mortals are capable of entering.

“Also,” Shirogane says, seemingly hesitant for some reason as he looks between me to War and, finally, the recliner. “Just… what are you doing?”

I turn away from him to focus on the recliner again as I answer, “Testing recliners to see what type I would want to buy myself.”

“Testing… recliners?” Shirogane mutters, only for him to shake his head and say, “Maybe I shouldn’t ask…”

Then he and his soldiers pass through the Gate into the Plane of Void as I focus on the recliner.

Maybe I’ll buy this recliner…

“Where can I find this recliner?” I turn to War and ask as numerous explosions echo through the Plane of Pestilence.

“I see you understand the greatness of recliners,” War says with a proud nod of his head for some reason. “I’ll be sure to introduce you after this.”

I stand up again before shaking War’s hand and declaring, “It’s much appreciated.”

More explosions ring out above us as Asher meows and Little Rain barks.