Rise of the Beast King - Chapter 2 - Llani's Sacrifice

"What is your town like, Llani?"  The young woman walked beside him along the main road, all the while, she found her gaze frequently on his shallow cheeks, and angular jaw.  His frame looked strong, but because he was drained of almost all his fats, his body looked far too slender.  She blushed a bit when he caught her gaze turned towards him.  "Llani?"

"Oh, sorry. I was lost in thought.  My town?  Well, I guess it's like most towns around.  Because the kingdom was so oppressive, our food production was severely controlled.  They would often send people to the capital to be used as the nobility saw fit.  Extra mouths was the common things I heard ever since I was little.  That's why I was sacrificed.  An extra mouth to feed."  He frowned.

"In my own world, unless you had enough young people to replace the older generations, your workforce would slowly be eroded away. There would be no one left to take care of the elderly, and no one trained in the trades."  She nodded.

"Much of our nobility do not learn those lessons. They just point their fingers, and send people away.  I was sent to the kingdom last year."  She turned away.  "I am glad you survived.  I don't know what would have happened to me in the future, but I know what they've already done."  He laid his hand on her shoulder, and unconsciously, she flinched.  He lifted his hand as soon as she did.

"I already understand what they did."  He didn't say anything else, as he wasn't quite that kind of personality. He wasn't built to comfort people.  He was angry, a fresh seething rage quietly building within him, igniting a side that he could not quench when he was sick.

Heaven help any person who wished to do harm to this young woman.




"This isn't a town. Its a picture of hell."  He quietly whispered to himself. People looked quite haggard from lack of food, which meant they could never build enough strength to fight against the kingdom. Then someone came into view that set his teeth on edge.  "Who is that?"  She stepped a bit closer to him, which told another story.

"The governor."  Leon growled slightly.

"He doesn't look hungry in any way."  She nodded, with full understanding of what he meant.  The governor looked like one of those slimy anime villains, complete with an empty smile.  "I don't like this town, Llani.  Go to your parents house and let them know you're still alive.  I'm going to stay out of sight."  She nodded and walked quietly, but quickly to avoid attracting attention.

Leon looked around and caught sight of a place to stay out of sight.  When he sat down, he noticed someone near to where he sat down.  It was a little girl, dirty, and obviously starving.  Her cheeks looked hollow, and her eyes nearly lifeless.

"Are you still alive?"  She nodded.  He took a piece of dried meat, tore off a small piece and held it out to her.  She looked at the meat, then at him.  With weak fingers, she gingerly took the meat and put it in her mouth.  "Chew it slowly. It will soften up as you chew it."  She looked up in alarm, which caused him to turn his head.  He growled under his breath.

"I wouldn't give that girl any food. Its just a waste."  The governor spoke, which made Leon feel dirty as though his words carried the filth of his mind.  "Instead, you should sell it to me."  Leon stood up effortlessly, and made the official step backwards.  Leon's height was impressive, as were the muscle he didn't know he had.   Then Llani slipped in close to his side.  "And what are you doing here?"  The governor screamed, looking quite upset.

"I came with Leon."  Llani held onto Leon's arm, and stood behind him like she was his shadow.

"You were supposed to be sacrificed!  Just like that girl will be next week!"  Leon growled a bit louder.

"My house is empty."  She said under her breath.  "It's been empty for a long time."  Leon's mind was not bogged down with pleasantries.  He was born on Earth, in a time where neighbors stole from each other, stabbed each other in the back, or called the police for the smallest of infractions.  It was a place that could be considered a hell to those born hundreds of years earlier.  He knew what happened to her parents.

"So she has no parents then."  The governor's smile was sickening.

"Of course! They were inconvenient.  Just like hers!"  Leon didn't growl again.  He reached out, grabbed the governor by the throat and lifted him effortlessly.  "You can't do this!"  He gasped, fear oozing from every pore as Leon lifted him with only one hand.  The governor tried to play the only weapon in his arsenal. "The kingdom..."  Llani smiled, and though she was sad about her parents, she felt immense satisfaction in knowing what would soon happen. She knew what would happen as Leon didn't take any action without following it up.

"Leon destroyed the kingdom last month.  Not one member of the royal family is alive."  The governor's eyes bulged in horror.

"That's impossible!  They were invincible!"  Leon laughed.

"Until they met me."  That was all the crowd needed to hear.  "Your time is up."  Leon said with a snarl, and threw the governor at the feet of the crowd that surged forward. Rage etched their features.

"What if he's wrong?"  The governor shouted.  "What if they're lying?"  The crowd paid him no heed.  They were already starving, so whether it was a slow death, or one that was quick at the hands of the kingdom, they no longer cared.

"Llani, pick up that girl and take her to the gate. I don't want her to see this kind of thing."  Llani nodded, but turned back as she heard the governor scream. A crowd of enraged starving men and women pulled him apart, arms and legs ripped as though attached with only thread.

One thing that Leon remembered from the history books he loved to read was that a sea of people was more dangerous than a platoon of armed soldiers.  It was apparent that this world had not learned that lesson.




"Do you take skins and meat as trade? I don't have coin."  The blacksmith frowned slightly.  His shop was sparse, as the rest of the town looked to have no gold to buy goods, or even feed themselves properly.

"Depending on how fresh the meat is, and the condition of the skin."  Leon put a sample of the meat on the skin he dropped on the counter.  The blacksmith smelled it.  "This smells quite fresh."  He unrolled the skin and chewed on the meat.  "Deer?  How did you....well, it's a nice hide."

"That deer was difficult to skin. The knife was razor sharp, and barely cut it."  The blacksmith nodded.

"Of course. Those ironback deer are extremely difficult to hunt because the arrows bounce off their hides, and swords don't slash their skins.  Something to do with the iron they chew on when they grow up.  I'd like to know how you were able to hunt it, but it's obvious that you were.  We don't have much coin so trade is better."  Leon looked around the room.

"How about the ax, pickax, hoe, mattock, and the drill with a bit?"  The blacksmith looked around.

"Put a large portion of meat, and I will throw in some rope too."  Leon pulled a large shank from his pack.  The shop owner knew that rope was essential for anyone starting over, or just traveling along the empty roads from the villages and towns of this impoverished country.

"Its been dried so it wouldn't go bad quickly, but it was only cooked yesterday." The smith gathered up the tools quickly, and sighed heavily when he picked up the meat.

"If you have any other meat, would you mind trading with the store? People are starving, and we need to get some food into the system quickly, or people will start dying. With the governor dead, we'll be able to keep our food for ourselves. They'll start foraging, but the meat will help."  Leon nodded.

"I understand. I'll check their stock. We need a few things anyway."




"Why did you trade the skin and meat to them?"  Llani asked him as she walked slightly behind.  He had adjusted his long stride to let her keep up, but for some reason, it was more difficult today than yesterday.

"We needed the tools, pots, and dishes.  I can also get more rather quickly, so it isn't a problem for us."  Llani blushed a bit and smiled.  He didn't understand why as he had no knowledge of the opposite sex other than what he learned from movies, and the computer.  Leon knew that information had no impact here, so he just ignored it.

As for personal interactions, he had practically none except for female couriers, and his doctor.  Llani was real, and here because she wanted to be, not because he wanted something delivered.  This was new territory for him.

"Um, Leon?"

"Yeah?"

"Did you grow taller these last couple of days?"  He turned towards her, and looked down.

"I was going to ask if you were shorter, but that can't be it."  He looked down at himself.  "To tell the truth, I don't really know."  He looked off the road.  "Do you know of any places out there that is about a day's journey from your town, no closer to any other village, or settlement, but close to a lake? A clearing would help quite a bit."  Llani frowned slightly, and thought for a moment.

"Um, when I was a kid, I used to explore the forest, and get my parents so mad at me. There was an old merchant's path that led to a clearing.  There is a lake, but it's about half a day from there, but there is a creek to get water at."  He smiled a bit.

"That sounds perfect. The lake was for fish, but the clearing will make it easier to build a shelter."  She looked up at him.

"A shelter?  Why not the town?"  Leon turned away.

"Because there is nothing for you there, Llani. They destroyed your sense of security."  He looked down at the sleeping child in her arms and smiled softly.  "There is no way I would want her to remember what they did to her parents, and see it every day."  Llani  hugged the girl a bit.

"You want us with you?"  Leon looked confused.

"I thought that was obvious, Llani."  She grinned.

"I wasn't sure, but it sounds nice to hear.  Thank you."  To someone like Leon, that smile didn't carry any message, even if it was filled with gratitude, and a budding affection. He had no masks.  He suppressed his emotions to appear unaffected, but he couldn't wear other emotions to hide what he felt.  He also didn't want that skill.  Any person who dealt with him would understand how he felt if it became necessary to educate them.

A solitary life removed all filters.




"Is this what you meant?"  She said as they entered the clearing late in the evening.  He nodded.

"It's perfect.  Once you're set up, I'll get some wood for the fire."  He looked down at the child who was still quite weak.  "See if you can make a stew.  I'll gather some water, so just prepare the meat, and a bit of salt.  It will help her gain some weight."  Llani nodded while she hugged the child to her chest.  "You're protective of her."  She took a few seconds to answer.

"She's like me."  It was a simple statement, but undeniably true.  Both their parents were murdered, and one sacrificed to the former kingdom, while one was intended to be a sacrifice in the future.

"She is.  Right now, she's safe."  He looked around quickly, and made a few decisions about what he would do in the near and far future.  "There's food nearby.  I think some berries, sweet potato, and...sniff sniff.....yes, some salt.  Let's get you set up so I can start with food and water necessities."

Llani wasn't sure what he meant when he said that those kinds of food was nearby, but she trusted him.  Leon hadn't lied to her yet.  As soon as they camped near a large tree for a windbreak, Leon took two pails he purchased along with a pot  He returned only a few minutes later, pails full of water, and the pot had a few handfuls of berries, a few pulled root tubers she didn't recognize, and a large amount of salt in the bottom of the pot.  She picked up the root.

"What is this?"

"Sweet potato.  I only picked what we needed.  Take the knife, cut off the roots sticking out of it, the stem, and poke the skin with a few holes deep into the center.  When the fire is hot, just put the potato in the coals. It will cook and taste better that way.  I'll go get some wood now."  No sooner had he spoken, he hefted the ax in his large hand, walked away, and came back with some deadfall he just cut up.

"So fast!"  She said in surprise.

"It was already fallen over, so all I did was cut off some branches, and a few short logs for the fire tonight.  Do you know how to start the fire?"  She nodded.  "I'll leave that to you tonight then.  I'll be right back."  He took the ax with him this time as well.

Llani happily smiled, gathered some dry tree lichen and pieces of thin bark from the birch in the area.  Using an old method, she cut a small notch in a dry branch, and pierced it through without splitting it.  Then she peeled and sharpened another dry stick, and started to rotate the  stick using her hands.  With pressure and speed, the friction turned the tip to a cinder, and she used that to ignite the tinder.  She used other dried twigs to nurse that into a small flame, and kept adding dried twigs, and eventually some sticks.

"That was fast."  Leon said as he returned.  She smiled and looked up.

"Eek!"  She fell back when she saw what was over his shoulder.  "How....."

"It was prowling around, so I killed it while I went for some more wood.  It must have been hungry as it ran at me instead of trying a different angle."  She nodded.

"The silverback wolf is dangerous because they charge anyone, and everything they see.  Humpback bears, ironback deers, and well armed soldiers.  They don't care.  They will eat anything."  Leon thought for a moment.

"Yeah, it was stupid, that's for sure.  The wolves on my world were more dangerous. They would hunt, surround you, come at you from different angles, even try to trick you.  This one just ran up to me and jumped.  Perfectly still target for my ax."  She watched him take the knife and begin to gut it.  She sighed, took a second pot, put some water in it, and took the kidneys, liver and heart he cut out of it.

"The kidneys and heart will make good stew meat, while the liver would be better fried in the pan.  Its flavor is much stronger than the others, and will overpower anything in the stew.  I wonder if we'll be able to forage enough vegetables to last us through the winter."  Leon smiled and sniffed the air again.

"The forest will provide, Llani.  We'll survive."  She smiled and nodded.

The meat, the vegetables he collected, and the dishes were a glut of riches that many in her country didn't possess.  Leon had provided her more food to eat then anyone had her entire life.  Two large meals a day while they traveled, and small snacks when she was hungry.  She didn't know how he was able to tell where everything was, but whenever he inhaled the scents of the area, he found what he wanted.

Llani had never gone hungry since she met him, and that was more than enough to make her young heart start to love this powerful and scary man.

She looked at the small child beside her, gave her some berries to eat, and smiled.  Her sacrifice to the kingdom finally had meaning.

Rise of the Beast King - Chapter 1 - The Fall

"See how powerful he is! His fat fairly glistens with power!  We shall feast tonight! Throw him into the vat!" The Queen called out to her magicians.  Their black robes had once been pure white, but the fabric was stained with the corruption in their flesh.  It couldn't be helped either.

Their robes were made with the most expensive and desired fabrics, obtained from the overgrown spiders deep within the forest.  Only the silks they spun were harvested.  The silks could only be produced in that forest, and by those enormous spiders.  If they were cultivated elsewhere, there were no magical properties in the silks.

Powered only by rituals, runes, and stolen energy, the magi of her empire were corrupt to the core.  But in the Empress's eyes, they were necessary to operate the portal, and bring forth her sacrifices.

"Begin the ceremony!" Several white robed magicians, new to the capital and not yet corrupted, stepped forward, and poured their power into the runes at the base of the vat. The Queen's eyes were filled with a lust that should make any normal human cringe, but all the nobility of her realm also were filled with that greedy lust.  A lust for power.

"The vat already fills with the black liquid, Your Majesty.  The newly summoned person is being drained of his greatest power and lifeforce."  She smiled cruelly, but then frowned.

"Why does he not cry out then?"  The priest shook his head.

"We do not know. There is terror in his eyes, and it also appears to be excruciating pain buried there, but he does not utter a...." Then they heard a howl begin to build from the vat.  "Ah, finally.  That iron will of his must have broken."  The Queen smiled cruelly again.

"It has only been a month since the last sacrifice, but I have missed this sound. It is something that will keep me quite warm tonight."  She sat forward.  "Listen to him! I have never heard such torment!"  The priest nodded.

"His power must have been great. My predecessor often spoke about how it was like having your skin sanded off with salt. I still remember his eyes as he was thrown into the vat."  The lead magician smiled maliciously.  His mentor had been sacrificed because he had not been able to open the portal for longer and longer periods of time.  It had been his own suggestion that they use his mentor's lifeforce to sate their hungers until the portal could be opened again.

The curses he uttered within the vat made them all smile as they stole and ingested his vast power.  Even until this night, those curses remained, yet unfulfilled.

"This is so soothing!"  The Empress shivered and smiled at the sheer amount of agony the victim must be enduring.  She truly relished their torment.

The howls echoed throughout the throne room, and other then the Empress, the rest were shaken by those howls.  They started to feel less and less like agony, and more like an animalistic rage.

The vat slowly filled with stolen power, and the once overly fleshed form grew thin and visibly frail compared to the heavy amounts of fat that once existed on his frame.  The vat started to bubble.

"Lift him with the screen and use the scrapers to pull the sludge off his skin. Do not pull his skin with it or it will contaminate the offering!"  A priest called out to several aproned workers on the side of the room.  The magicians moved to all sides of the room, with priests between them. They were not patiently waiting even though it took only a few minutes to remove the excess and leave it in the vat.  The Queen stood up.

"Take the corpse away, for now is the feast!"




"What do we do with the body?"  A girl asked.  It was her first time on this detail. She was a commoner, and it was a job many wished to never do again.  The old man looked at the body and sighed sadly.

"We dispose of it.  To think that these people once lived lives of luxury, but were yanked away from that other world to become food for the nobility."  She frowned.

"Food?"  The old man nodded.  While he filled her in on the details, the Queen was drinking her first cup from the vat.  The other nobles were also lining up for their own share.

"The ritual strips away the strongest power the person possesses, and their accumulated lifeforce.  All that fat on his body would sustain a normal man for nearly a year. He must have had a lot of wealth to get that fat.  But look at him now. Nothing. No fats left. Just muscle."  She looked down.

"Okay, so the ritual takes away his power, but I still don't understand how it gives them his power."  He rolled his eyes.

"That liquid contains his power. They drink it. If they don't finish it, they get nothing. Because there is so much, it will be difficult for them to drink it all."  He listened quietly.  "Yeah, even the soldiers are lining up for their share."  She frowned.

"The soldiers too?"

"That's how this country is so powerful, child.  Didn't your own hometown get defeated?"  She nodded.

"Oh!"  Understanding entered her eyes.  "That is why they were so strong!"  He nodded.

"The knights, the generals, and even the soldiers take part in this feast."  He frowned.  "Although, I don't hear the normal groaning about how difficult it is to drink."




"I can't get enough of this foul stuff!"  The Queen inhaled her third cup. "Its like I can't stand the taste, but once my cup is empty...."  The priest smiled and finished his second mug.

"It is indeed unusual. I've never had a brew so powerful before.  Almost like it wants to be finished."  He watched as the last soldier held up his mug.

"The final one!"  A shout went around the room, and everyone waited for the last drop to be swallowed.

"This is it!  What we all deserve!"  The Queen felt her stomach churn as she waited for the last drop to hit his tongue.





"Sir?  His eyes!"  The old man looked down at the cart that carried the corpse.

"What....this has never happened before."  He said quietly. "He's alive!"  The man sat up, pressed on his belly, his slack arms, then stood up.  He bounced up and down a few times.  Earlier, his howl of pain could be heard throughout the castle.

Now, all that could be heard was laughter.




"What is your name?"  The girl lifted her eyes from the fire.

"Llani."  She swallowed a lump in her throat.  The man's gaze was intense, but not hostile, or lustful.

"I am Leon."  He tore into a piece of roast deer with relish and sighed happily.  "It's been many years since I could enjoy food."  The old man stayed silent.  "What is your name, old man?"

"Reina.  What did you mean about enjoying food?"  Leon wiped his mouth on the back of his hand.

"I had a disease that stole my enjoyment of life. The doctors said I should have been dead long ago, but my body craved food, so I kept living."  Reina frowned.

"A disease?"

"Yeah, it was also extremely painful. I was housebound for the last ten years, unable to move that much, or it would cause a lot of pain. I was in large amounts of pain just existing too."  He smiled and tore into the meat again.  "I don't know what they did, but I haven't felt this good since I was a kid!"

"They performed a ritual."  Leon looked at him.

"A ritual? You mean a religious healing ceremony?"  He shook his head.

"You are from another world, similar to this one, but different. Power exists in your world, so they bring your people here and steal it."  Leon looked at his meat, then back at Reina.

"Steal my power?"  Then he started to laugh.

"What is so funny?"

"The only thing I possessed was the ability to survive that disease. It was still more powerful then I was though. I was still dying.  So they only thing they stole from me was the disease, and the fat I got from being so sick for so long."  Reina looked back at the faint shadow of the castle.  There had been no activity in the castle since the howls of agony stopped a few hours ago.

"So, they are all dead then."  Leon nodded and tore another chunk of meat from the cut he held.

"Most likely.  That disease would kill anyone from my world eventually.  It was at its peak in my body when they brought me here.  If they are not dead yet, they will soon wish they were."  He smiled a large smile.  "Is there any city or town far from here where we can go?  Hunting isn't hard on this world, but I'd like to see if there are any normal jobs I can handle now that I'm healthy."  Reina scratched his chin, and looked at the young girl in front of him.

"Llani can guide you to a town quite far away from here.  They might like to know that she's alright, and since you were able to use that soldier's bow so easily, they might appreciate someone with your skills there."  Leon looked at him carefully.

"And what about you?"  Reina shrugged.

"I'm going to confirm whether or not they are dead, or dying.  If they are dying, or dead, I'll head back to my own hometown, and see if I can start over.  If they are still alive, I have to remain at my post or they will skin the inhabitants of my town alive."  Leon stopped suddenly, and bristled angrily.

"Really."  He thought for a moment.  "I'll take the first watch.  You two should get some sleep.  In the morning, we'll part ways, and you can confirm whether or not it's safe to go home."  Reina smiled, and laid down on a blanket of moss.  Llani watched Leon carefully.  "Go to sleep, Llani.  I'll be here when you wake in the morning."

Llani laid back against a log, and could not keep her eyes open any longer.  She fell asleep with the gentle eyes of a lion like man looking down on her.  She hasn't felt safe enough to do that for a long long time.




"You can go home, Reina."  Reina opened his eyes and slowly pushed himself to a seated position.  Llani also blinked and sat up.  Leon pointed to the castle.

"Its burning!"  Reina stood up.

"Its being cleansed."  He handed Llani a piece of roast deer from the shank still over the coals.  Reina looked back at Leon.

"Cleansed?"

"If what I heard while on that cart is true, all of the important people of this kingdom were there.  Nobles, officers, military commanders.  All of them.  This Kingdom is done.  Every person who participated in bringing people from my world, stealing their strength and life, then disposing of them like garbage, were dying, and are now dead."  Then Reina shivered as he saw a slight shimmer pass through Leon's eyes.  Llani looked at him carefully.

"Does that mean I can go home now?"  Leon smiled gently at her.

"Yes, now you can go home."  He looked at Reina, then stood up and picked up the bow.  "Reina, if you can dry that meat enough to let it keep long enough for your trip home, can you also do the same for Llani?"  Leon walked away from the fire.

"Where are you going?"  Reina asked carefully.

"To get another deer.  Be back in half an hour."  Leon walked into the forest with confidence in his abilities, though only twelve hours before, he was housebound, and in agony every minute of his life.  He also knew a little of what those people were after.

He crouched down, closed his eyes, and took a deep breath in through his nose.  Then he opened his eyes.  The iris was slightly almond in shape, and much larger than normal.  He began to move slowly through the underbrush, his senses leading the way.  Just like a large wildcat.




"Llani, be careful around that man."  She looked at Reina earnestly.

"Why? If he meant us harm, he could have done that while we slept."  Reina nodded.

"True, but he was able to hunt down one of our deers in less than an hour and bring it back to the fire without using the bow.  I saw no wound when he began to skin it."  She frowned.

"Really?  Then what did he use?"  She shivered at his words.

"His bare hands."  He closed his eyes.  "And now that he's finally free of the disease that would have killed him eventually, there is no telling what he'll do.  He's lived with pain and suffering the likes of which no one from our world will ever experience. There is no telling how it will have affected him."  He let out a sound of forced resignation.

"That world gave birth to a human monster, and our Queen brought him here.  May the gods help us."