The following is a rewritten version of the 1st chapter of my Master of Death fantasy story.

This is still a WIP, but I was FINALLY able to type up everything that I'd written out on paper IRL back in 2021 (as well as doing some minor editing of it all), and I added quite a bit of new content to this that wasn't in the original version of Chapter I.

The main reason I wanted to finish publishing this now is because I included both Gobediah Gobkins and the Idol of Moreku as characters in Master of Death: Battle Colosseum, and getting the story of Shadewood Forest out there had already been on my to-do list for WAY too long anyway, lol!
(Sorry about that.)

I actually managed to reach Paint's text limit with this blog and had to divide it into 2 parts (which was a first for me lol), but hopefully y'all enjoy reading all of this, even though it's still not quite finished.

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An AWESOME drawing of Helena Dusklight, by SCREECHiNG FLARE.

On October 31st 1000 A.E., in the small town of Shadewood, Angela Dusklight died while giving birth to her daughter Helena.

Helena Dusklight's father, Christian Dusklight, died just 13 days before she was born, during his forced military service in the Suna Region to the east, leaving Helena to be raised by her godmother Lisa Pureheart.

Almost all of the residents of Shadewood (including Lisa, and both of Helena's birth parents) were Human Evelynists, worshippers of the Peace Goddess Evelyn, who believe that She created all of Sangai (the Three Realms), including Asgard (Heaven), Midgard (Earth), and Helheim (Hell), as well as all things that exist within them, and that She made all of the different peoples of Sangai in Her own image, just like it says in their holy book, the Book of Evelyn.

[Spoiler=Peoples?]There are many different races of people that inhabit Sangai, including several different races of Humans, various kinds of Elves and Fairies, the Dwarves that inhabit Midgard's mountains, the Merfolk that inhabit the Endless Sea, and many, many others.

The Book of Evelyn says that all of these different races (as different as they are from one another) of people were created in the image of the Goddess, which distinguishes people from the various other living things that inhabit Sangai, such as animals, plants, fungi, and "monsters".

It is also worth noting that the Book of Adaman (the holy book of the Adamantists, who worship the war god Adaman) says that people were created in their god's image, and this is but one of many similarities between Adamantism and Evelyinism.[/Spoiler]

The town of Shadewood is located in the Evilonian Empire, however, and the Evilonian government requires all of the citizens of the empire to worship the war god Adaman, and all other religions (including Evelynism) are illegal there.

From the moment that she was born, it was clear that Helena Dusklight was special: her skin was pale gray, like that of a Vampire; her eyes glowed a bright red color, which was clearly visible even in the deepest of darkness; her hair (not that she had much hair as a baby) was a ghostly translucent white; and her blood, her nails, her teeth (which were all sharp, once they grew in), and even her bones were blacker than the blackest ink.

Although many others in her position would've feared or hated a child that looked the way that Helena did, Lisa wasn't bothered at all by her goddaughter's unusual appearance, and being best friends with both of Helena's birth parents since childhood, she felt truly blessed to have been given the chance to love and care for the daughter that her best friend Angela was willing to die for.

Evilonian law requires all children to be checked with a Potentiometer shortly after being born, so that the results may be shared with the government, and added to their official records.

[Spoiler=Potentiometer?]A Potentiometer is a magical device that measures a person's Innate Physical Potential (IPP) and Innate Magical Potential (IMP), and that can also detect the presence of Special Genes.

IPP and IMP are both single digit hexadecimal numbers that are a way of measuring the inherent physical and magical capabilities of an individual, with IPP normally ranging between 1 and A (10) in Humans of non-royal descent, while IMP normally ranges between 0 and A in Humans of non-royal descent, with higher ratings meaning that the individual has greater potential to become stronger physically or magically, and an IMP rating of 0 meaning that the individual has no inherent magical power whatsoever, and will never be able to cast spells.
(Although such individuals can still use most magical items, thankfully.)

IPP/IMP ratings are hereditary to a certain degree, and children generally don't have IPP/IMP ratings that are much higher or lower than their parents.

In the Evilonian Empire, all citizens with an IPP rating of 6 or higher are required to join the Imperial Evilonian Army Corps (IEAC) upon turning 18, while those with an IMP rating of 6 or higher are required to join the Imperial Evilonian Mage Corps (IEMC) at 18, and the primary reason for this mandatory Potentiometer check at birth is so that the Evilonian government can keep track of all its citizens that have high enough IPP/IMP ratings to be eligible for forced military conscription later on in life.
(Like Helena's father was.)

Although having an IMP rating of 0 (which roughly 10% of all Humans have) is generally treated like a disability, IPP/IMP ratings actually don't play much of a role in the everyday lives of most people, aside from the aforementioned role it plays in military conscription in the Evilonian Empire, and also (amongst Adventurers) in deciding which class someone chooses to become.

In addition to IPP/IMP ratings, Potentiometers can also detect the presence of Special Genes, which are said to be blessings bestowed upon the royal families by the gods long ago, which grant those who possess them powerful unique abilities that (along with higher than normal IPP/IMP ratings) make those with royal blood far stronger than regular people. [/Spoiler]

When Lisa saw Helena's Potentiometer reading, she was astonished by what it said:

0D FREAK

Not only did Helena Dusklight have an IMP rating of D (13), far higher than should've been possible for a commoner, she also had an IPP rating of 0, which was supposedly not even possible, as well as a "Freak Gene", whatever that was.

Neither of Helena's birth parents had such a high IMP rating, nor did they have such a low IPP rating, nor did either of them have any Special Genes, and although it was understood from very early on during Angela Dusklight's pregnancy both that she was going to die while giving birth to her daughter and that her daughter was going to be born with a Dark Element, these extraordinary Potentiometer results still came as quite the surprise to Lisa, and being a woman of faith, she saw all of Helena's unique and unusual characteristics as miracles of the Goddess, and she believed that they were all signs that she was destined to do great things someday.

[Spoiler=Elements?]22 different "Elements" exist in the realms of Sangai:

0. Neutral

1. Water

2. Fire

3. Air

4. Earth

5. Lightning

6. Ice

7. Wood

8. Poison

9. Disease

10. Metal

11. Light

12. Dark

13. Chaos

14. Order

15. Time

16. Space

17. Radiation

18. Ether

19. Crystal

20. Dragon

21. Perfect

All things that exist, including people, animals, plants, monsters, items, and abilities can have any number of these different Elements associated with them, and all of these Elements have different kinds of positive and negative relationships with each other, that affect how the things that possess them interact with one another.

For example, since Helena Dusklight has a Dark Element, any Dark Element abilities that she uses will be more powerful than normal, and any harmful Dark Element abilities used against her by her enemies will be less effective than normal.

Additionally, helpful Dark Element abilities used on her by herself or her allies will be more effective than normal, although harmful Light Element abilities will harm her more, and helpful Light Element abilities won't be quite as effective on her.
(And there are other advantages and disadvantages to her having a Dark Element as well.)

Although most Humans are born with a Neutral Element (which means that they have no Element), it isn't that unusual for Human children to be born with at least 1 Element, but normally the only ways that a Human can have a Dark Element is either by being afflicted with Vampirism, by being possessed by a demon, or by worshipping the Demon God Balroth and receiving its "blessing", and having a Dark Element is generally considered to be a sign of evil in Humans.

Being born with a Dark Element isn't so unusual for members of some of the other races, however, such as the Dark Elves, who are always born with one. [/Spoiler]

Unfortunately, Helena's uniqueness also put Lisa in the uniquely awkward position of being the first person ever to have to comply with a rather unusual old law, that requires any parent whose child produces "unusual and/or inexplicable Potentiometer readings" to notify the Queen herself of the situation as soon as possible.

Lisa didn't necessarily want to do this, as she (like most Evelynists) wasn't particularly fond of the Evilonian government, nor their World War against the Velnirese and Akushinese in the east (the same one Christian died fighting in), nor their many authoritarian laws (such as this one), but she had somewhat more respect for Misandria as queen, due to her many reforms (such as ending the Evilonian government's long standing policy of executing Evelynists) that made her life and the lives of others living in small Evelynist communities like Shadewood less miserable.
(And she knew better than to try to hide Helena from the queen, and risk bringing down her wrath on the entire village.)

Although the Evilonian capitol of Palatia wasn't very far from Shadewood, she decided to call Misandria telepathically, as it is a faster, more convenient, and more private means of communication.

[Spoiler=Telepathy?]In Sangai, people are able to "call" one another telepathically to communicate with each other, in much the same way that we use telephones or other devices to do so in our world.

Anyone (even those with an IMP rating of 0) can use telepathy, and a person is capable of calling anyone whom they wish, provided that they are both in the same realm at the same time, and that the person receiving the "call" answers it.
(It basically works like a telepathic phone call.)

In addition to being able to communicate quickly over long distances, one of the other advantages of telepathy is that it is the most private form of communication in Sangai.

While conversations spoken aloud can potentially be overheard by eavesdroppers, it is incredibly difficult (and illegal) to listen in on telepathic conversations, and this can only be done by using powerful Neuromancy (mental magic, which is also illegal in most places) to "hack" into the psychic link formed between those conversing.

This "psychic link" is secured by the Willpower of all those whose minds are forming it, however, which in this particular case would be Lisa Pureheart and Queen Misandria Adamantia, the latter of whom has a ridiculously high Willpower stat, making it impossible for even the most powerful Neuromancer in the world to be able eavesdrop on her telepathic conversations. [/Spoiler]

Lisa (telepathy): Excuse me Your Highness, but I just checked my newborn goddaughter on a Potentiometer, and it gave me a reading of "0D", and detected the presence of a "Freak Gene".

Misandria (telepathy): I have never heard of someone having an IPP rating of 0 before, nor do I understand how such a thing could even be possible, but it is of no consequence. I want her regardless.

Lisa (telepathy): You want her…?

Misandria (telepathy): Why yes, of course.

Misandria (telepathy): A child born with a Special Gene in my queendom has obviously been blessed by the Warlord, and since this has happened during my reign, it must be her destiny to become my daughter, and to help me to fulfill my destiny as His chosen Valkyrie.

[Spoiler=Valkyrie?]According to the Book of Adaman, a beautiful woman whose strength and intellect is surpassed only by her love of war will one day be born, and this woman shall be known as the Valkyrie.

The Valkyrie is supposed to be a devout Adamantist with absolute faith in all of the teachings of the Book of Adaman, and is also supposed to be some sort of melee class, most likely a Paladin.

It just so happens that this a perfect description of Queen Misandria Adamantia, and almost all Adamantists all over the world (including herself) believe that she is in fact the Valkyrie prophesized in the Book of Adaman thousands of years ago, and that (just like the Book of Adaman says) it is her destiny to conquer all of Midgard for the War God, and to bring about the endless war known as Ragnarok.
(To a truly devout Adamntist, endless war is actually a good thing.) [/Spoiler]

Lisa thought carefully about what she was going to say next, because although she didn't want to give up her daughter, she also didn't want to offend the queen, both because she had a great deal of respect for her, and because she could raze Shadewood to the ground with a single swipe of her greatsword if she wanted to…

Lisa (telepathy): …Your Majesty, you recently gave birth to your 4th child, did you not?

Misandria (telepathy): Yes, you are correct…

Lisa (telepathy): Both of this girl's birth parents are dead, and they both entrusted her to me.

Lisa (telepathy): Her mother died giving birth to her, and her father had already died earlier this month while serving the Empire in the Suna Region, and the thought of losing her right after she came into my life–

Misandria (telepathy): Say no more, I understand how you feel, and I completely agree with you.

Lisa was both relieved and somewhat surprised to hear Misandria react this way, and she felt incredibly grateful towards her.

Lisa (telepathy): Thank you so much Your Majesty! I shall forever be in your debt!

Misandria (telepathy): Don't thank me just yet, I still want her.

Misandria (telepathy): I'll let you raise her there in Shadewood until she turns 13, and on her 13th birthday, I want you to bring her here to me, so that she can receive proper combat training.

Given the circumstances, Misandria's proposal sounded not only reasonable, but incredibly generous and considerate to Lisa, and she happily agreed to her terms.

Lisa (telepathy): That is more than generous! Thank you so much Your Highness, and may the Goddess bless you and your family!

Immediately after saying that, Lisa realized the grave mistake she just made: she just wished the blessings of the Peace Goddess upon the chosen one of the War God.

Lisa's feelings of gratitude and happiness quickly turned to feelings of sheer terror.

Although she knew Misandria had treated Evelynists quite well in the past, she also knew that Misandria had a ruthless side, and that she has killed tens of thousands of people (if not more) with her own blade, and that she wouldn't hesitate to kill anyone whom she deemed to be an obstacle to her fulfilling her destiny as the Valkyrie.

Misandria chuckled.

Misandria (telepathy): Yes, and may the Warlord bless you and yours.

Lisa was once again pleasantly surprised by Misandria's behavior, and it was then that she remembered that the queen's husband, King Andrew Evenstein Adamantia, was in fact an Evelynist himself before marrying Misandria, and that there were many rumors about both the king and the 4 princesses secretly worshipping Evelyn with Misandria's blessing.

She then gave the queen all of the necessary information about herself, Helena, and Helena's birth parents, and then they ended their surprisingly friendly conversation, and both returned to dealing with their own responsibilities in life.

In Misandria's case, this not only meant caring for her 4 young daughters, but also ruling over the greatest empire the world had ever known, as well as leading the war effort against the world's 2 other superpowers in the east: the Evelynist Kingdom of Velnir, and the Draconistic Akushinese Empire.



[Spoiler=Draconist?]Draconism is the oldest known religion in Sangai, and also the most mysterious.

For hundreds of millions of years, the Dragons and other reptilian and piscine races have practiced what is now referred to as Primeval Draconism, which is as poorly understood by the younger races (such as Humans) as anything else regarding the ancient races who still practice this mysterious religion to this day.

Akushinese Draconism is a far less ancient and somewhat better understood variation of this ancient faith, and is practiced by over 2 billion Humans throughout the Akushinese Empire.

Akushinese Draconists seem to worship a Golden Dragon named Kinryuu, who is said to have bestowed a great blessing upon the first Akushinese Empress, Ryuu Akusho, many thousands of years ago.

Akushinese Draconists seem to revere not only both Kinryuu and the Akushinese royal family but also Dragons and Dragonkin more broadly, and while Evelynists believe in peace and Adamntists believe in war, Akushinese Draconists seem to believe in the pursuit of perfection in all things, and it would seem as though they regard Dragons as being "closer to perfect", and so they treat them with a high degree of reverence and respect, and aspire to become more like them themselves. [/Spoiler]

Unlike the queen, Lisa's responsibilities in life didn't necessarily affect the fate of the world, but as the sole caretaker of the Shadewood Orphanage, the lives of many children orphaned by the World War depended on her, including her goddaughter's.

While she worked tirelessly to feed, clean, clothe, and educate all of the children, and cared for all of them a great deal, Helena was the only one among them whom she thought of as her own daughter, and Helena thought of Lisa as her mother, as well.

For a variety of different reasons, Helena didn't get along very well with the other children at the orphanage.

Part of this was because of her unusual appearance, which frightened many of the other children, but it was also because Helena was gifted in many ways.

Firstly, Helena was an incredibly intelligent and thoughtful child, and from a very early age she was conversing with adults about such serious topics as geopolitics, philosophy, and theoretical magic, and she always seemed to have a better understanding of these things than they did.

Additionally, Helena had the ability to see and communicate with the ghosts of those whose souls did not pass on to Asgard or Helheim upon dying, a rare but not unheard of gift known as Spirit Sight, which led many people who did not have this same ability to believe that she was crazy.

Aside from Lisa, most of Helena's friends were actually ghosts, and her closest friend of all was the ghost of a Shadow Dracolich named Necrofyrmythyr, whom she affectionately nicknamed "Necky".



Necky actually met Helena before she was born, as she sensed the presence of a powerful Dark Magic that reminded her of her own inside of Angela Dusklight when she was pregnant with Helena, and intrigued by it, she started following Angela around, and she was even present when Helena was born.

Helena and Necky were inseparable, and while Lisa (who could not see or hear ghosts) was the only living person who believed that Necky was real, that didn't stop Helena from learning many things from Necky, such as Dracomancy (Dragon Magic), the Ancient Dragonish and Ancient Drowish languages, the secrets of the mysterious ancient religion of the Dragons known as "Primeval Draconism", and many other ancient secrets that one could only learn by talking to the ghost of a Dragon who lived hundreds of millions of years ago.

Helena learned many things from talking to other ghosts as well, and by comparing the information about the past given to her by ghosts to that recorded in the history books, it didn't take Helena long to figure out the true history of the kingdom now known as "Evilonia", and to figure out that many of those conspiracy theories about the Union of the Snake secretly controlling the Evilonian government were in fact true.

[Spoiler=Union of the Snake?]According to conspiracy theorists, the Union of the Snake is a secret society that controls the Evilonian government and/or other governments around the world, comparable to the "Illuminati" in our world.

The "Snake" in Union of the Snake refers to the Demon God Balroth, whom is also often referred to simply as "the Snake", and in most versions of these conspiracy theories the Union is said to be a secret Balrothist cult comprised of various wealthy oligarchs and government officials, particularly those with suspiciously low IPP/IMP ratings.

All of the suspected members of the Union of the Snake are single Human men of Evilonian, Kazanian, or Velnirese descent, and most conspiracy theorists believe that Lord Lumin Redshield – the richest man in the world – is their leader. [/Spoiler]

Helena spent most of her spare time studying in the Shadewood Library, and she got straight As in all school subjects with little to no effort.

She was particularly interested in books on paleontology, magic, religion, and philosophy, but her desire to learn was severely limited by the books available in Shadewood, and by age 6, she had already read every book in the library.

She looked forward to the day that she could Go to Hell and visit the Darkweb Library in Svartalfheim, the greatest library in all of Sangai, but first she would have to go level up a bit…

[Spoiler=Go to Hell?]Go to Hell is an ancient Dark Magic spell that creates a Wyrmhole (portal) to Helheim from Midgard, or vice versa.

Although this is one of the first spells that the Drow (Dark Elves) of Svartalfheim in eastern Helheim learn as children, no Human has ever learned the spell (let alone cast it) before, and Helena was taught it by Necky.

Unfortunately, it could potentially be dangerous to go to Helheim at Level 1, and so Helena wants to make sure that she is strong enough to defend herself if necessary, first. [/Spoiler]

Lisa: I know that you're already better at magic than everyone else in town, but are you sure that you're ready to fight monsters already?

Lisa: I mean, you're still so young, and I'd never forgive myself if I let anything happen to you…

Helena (age 6): Don't worry Mom, I won't get in over my head.

Helena: Between my ridiculously high stats, my Freak Gene, and all of the spells that you and Necky taught me, I should be just fine.

Lisa: OK, just make sure that you're back home before dark.

Helena snickered.

Helena: Hey now, you know that I can't make any promises about that…

Helena was planning on going to Shadewood Forest, which was located just outside of town.

During the day, Shadewood Forest is a relatively safe hunting ground for low level Adventurers, but because of a curse, high level demons appear in the forest at night, making it into a VERY dangerous place avoided by most Adventurers.

Although this was her first adventure, Helena was quite confident about her own capabilities, and while she intended on leaving the forest before nightfall, she didn't rule out the possibility that she'd want to test out her powerful magic against the nocturnal demons there.

Of course, before she was ready to go adventuring, she had to go buy some equipment and supplies first.

Due to her IPP rating of 0, Helena couldn't use even the lightest weapons or armor, but magical wands and jewelry were still useful to her, as were magical clothing such as mage's robes.

Helena was given a pretty good allowance from Lisa (perhaps Misandria gave her some extra money to make sure she took good care of her eventual daughter), and while the shops in Shadewood certainly didn't have the most impressive selection in the world, she found a few useful items.

At the local Magical Supplies Shop, she purchased a few spell scrolls, and a wand that increases the effectiveness of Light Element spells.

At the local Tailor's, she purchased a "Little Black Dress", a somewhat unusual item that they happened to have in stock, that increases the wearer's Dark Element, and that she also thought looked rather nice.

At the local Jeweler's, she purchased a couple of bracelets that increase her MP, a couple of Anklets that increase her Speed stat, and a ring that increases her Magic stat.

Helena spent most of her money, however, at the Apothecary, where she purchased a MASSIVE number of Mana Potions, as well as a few Poison Antidotes and such.

Helena: Well, I guess that's everything then, right Neck?

Necky: Yes, I believe so.

Helena then left town, and headed straight for Shadewood Forest.

It was around 11:00, and the sun in the sky was shining down from between the branches of the trees overhead.

Although Helena had exceptional night vision and tended to be a bit of a night owl, the bright light of the daytime sun never bothered her eyes any more than any other Human's, although the intense heat of hot summer days most certainly did.
(Thankfully it was a cool spring morning, though.)

Other than low level monsters, many other creatures also called Shadewood Forest home, including songbirds, squirrels, rabbits, deer, and many other animals.

Being a thoughtful sort of person, Helena wondered what the point of all this was.

Helena: So what exactly are the differences between animals, monsters, and people, anyway?

Helena: I mean, I get that demons are different because they don't have souls and are basically pure evil, but what about regular monsters like Slimes? What makes them any different from any other living creature, like a rabbit, or a squirrel, or a Human?

Necky: That is a good question, one that even I do not know the answer to.

Necky: During the Old World Order, many of the same monster species – including Slimes – existed, just as they do today.

Necky: The distinction between people and animals seems to be that people are "civilised", and build towns, read and write, and things like that, but the only difference between animals and monsters seems to be how they interact with said people.

Helena: Yeah, and the Book of Evelyn says that people were made in Evelyn's image, but that animals and monsters were not.

Helena ran into a Level 1 Slime, which she KO'd (but didn't kill) with a single cast of the Dark Magic spell "Shadow Bolt", giving her a small amount of EXP.

Helena: I wonder what most people would consider Dragons like you if you were still alive…?

Necky: In my case, probably a monster.

Helena: Considering that there are still plenty of people that consider Goblins and Orcs to be monsters, you're probably right.

Near the entrance of the forest the monsters were mostly Slimes, but as she ventured deeper into the woods Helena encountered Giant Rats, Giant Spiders (which were poisonous), and many other "monsters" that didn't really seem any different from the animals that lived there, aside from their aggressive (or perhaps territorial) behavior towards Adventurers like herself.

Somewhere deep in the woods, there was said to be a village of Goblins, and in the distant past some of the Goblins would leave the forest at night and attack Shadewood.

Unfortunately, small Evelynist towns like Shadewood are ideal targets for Balrothists seeking young Evelynist children to offer as blood sacrifices to their demon god, although no such incidents have occurred in Shadewood in over 100 years.

Some time after the Old World Order ended 65,000,000 years ago, a number of new species began to appear in Midgard, and started to repopulate the desolate wasteland left in Datenshi's wake.

Although the Elves, Fairies, Lizardmen, and a few of the other ancient races of people managed to survive the destruction, world events during the Current World Order have primarily been influenced by these new races, especially Humans.

Long before the ongoing World War between East and West, many wars were fought between the forces of good (which included Humans, Elves, Dwarves, Giants, and many other races) and the forces of evil (mostly Orcs, Goblins, Hobgoblins, Trolls, Ogres, and Demons), with the forces of good belonging to many different faiths (including both Evelynists and Adamantists), whereas the forces of evil belonged to only one: Balrothism.

Although these old wars have largely been forgotten by those alive today, the countless evil deeds of the races who served Balroth were not, which is why many people consider members of these races to be "monsters" (or worse) to this day.

Around 1,000 years ago when the kingdom of Evilonia was first founded, the Orcish king at that time decided to renounce Balrothism and demanded that his people convert to Adamantism like him, and he then forged an alliance with Evilonia that still holds strong to this day.

Since this mass Orcish conversion to Adamantism, there have been many Goblins rejecting Balrothism and converting to other religions as well, but the Hobgoblin aristocracy that rules over both the Goblins and Hobgoblins have been quite brutal in cracking down on those who don't stay true to their race's "proud evil traditions", leading to many internal divisions in Goblin society.

Helena was well aware of all of this, and she had a deep hatred of Balroth, demons, and also the evildoers who serve them, but she wasn't a racist, and had nothing against Goblins, Orcs, or even Hobgoblins.

Eventually, after gaining a few levels, Helena got bored of defeating the weak diurnal monsters in the forest, and so she returned to the orphanage, and told Lisa that she wanted to return to the forest at night.

Later, at around 20:00, Helena returned to Shadewood Forest, to see what it was like there at night.

She immediately noticed that all of the animals and weak monsters that were everywhere during the day were all gone.

Helena: So I guess all of the regular creatures go into hiding at night, huh?

Necky: Yes, it would appear so…

Helena then saw a beautiful moth fly right past her, and land on a small glowing flower.

Helena: Well, it appears that it's at least safe for insects here at night.

Necky: Yes, and the absence of their natural nocturnal predators probably makes it even safer for them, actually.

Helena observed a cute caterpillar of the same species as the moth, nibbling on the leaves of the glowing flower, and she smiled.

Helena: Hey, do you think if the curse were to be lifted that bats would return to this forest?

Helena: I mean, I like bats and all, but it seems like this place has become a safe haven for moths, and I'd kinda like it to stay that way…

Necky: Hmm… bats haven't lived in this forest for hundreds of years, so even if the curse were to be lifted, I doubt that they would return this place unless they were reintroduced by people.

Helena: Yeah, you're probably right…

Helena then noticed a white blur run right past her.

It was a small albino rabbit, and it was being chased by a Night Terror, a type of demonic raccoon-like creature.

Without any hesitation, Helena shot a "Holy Bolt" at the demon to get its attention off of the rabbit, and onto her.

This would be Helena's first real battle, and her magic, equipment, and special abilities were all about to be put to the test.

---

Combat stuff…

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Helena then approached the rabbit (who was hiding in some nearby bushes watching her fight) and noticed that he wasn't the same as any of the rabbit species native to this region of the world, and concluded that he must've been someone's lost pet.

Helena: Poor little guy…

Helena then offered him some fresh herbs to get him to come out of hiding, picked him up, and carried him back into town.

She wasn't sure whose rabbit it was, and since everyone in town was already asleep at this time of night, she decided to drop him off at the orphanage with Lisa, and to go looking for his Human(s) in the morning.

It was about 22:00 by the time she made it back to the forest, and it was even darker now, but being a bit of a "night owl" herself, Helena was quite used to staying up all night, and she normally went to bed around sunrise.

As she ventured deeper into the forest, she encountered more Night Terrors, as well as Bats Outta Hell (bat demons), Ungolian Poisoners (spider demons), and Morekian Snatchers (owl demons).

---

More combat stuff…

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Eventually (at around 3:00), she made it deep into the depths of the forest, where she discovered something most unusual…

Helena: What the hell is that thing?

Necky: I'm not sure, but it is likely related to the curse of this forest in some way.

Standing before Helena was a giant statue of a particularly nasty looking owl demon that had been made out of clay, with what resembled a sacred Fairy Spring in front of it, that was filled with blood…



All around the statue and the Fairy Spring all of the plants in the area were dead, and aside from a massive number of cockroaches that were concentrated in the area for some reason, there were no animals or demons in the area either.

Helena: Do you think that the Goblins built this thing…?

Necky: Perhaps, as it does appear to be some sort of idol, and it bears a resemblance to the owl demons that inhabit this forest.

???: It is an idol of Moreku, one of the six Demon Overlords that rule over Muspelheim alongside Balroth.

Helena and Necky turned around and saw an elderly Goblin man with a wooden cane standing before them.

Helena: So is this thing the cause of the curse then?

???: Yes, it is.

Gobediah: My name is Gobediah Gobkins, although most folks just call me "Gramps" or "Old Man Gobkins"…

Helena: So would you mind telling me more about this thing Mr. Gobkins?

Gobediah smiled when he heard Helena call him "Mr. Gobkins", as he wasn't used to being treated with such respect, especially by a youngster.

Gobediah: First, why don't you two tell me your names, and why a little Vampire girl and a Dragon ghost are hanging around in a cursed forest in the middle of the night?

Helena was impressed by how Mr. Gobkins could see Necky, as he was the first other person she met who could.

Helena: So you can see ghosts too, huh?

Gobediah: Yes, it's basically a requirement to have Spirit Sight if one wants to become a Shaman like myself.

Helena: I see…

Helena: Anyway, I'm actually not a Vampire, I'm just a Human freak, and my name is Helena Dusklight.

Necky: And I am Lady Necrofyrmythyr, her spirit guide.

Gobediah: A spirit guide, eh? Are you an aspiring young Shaman yourself?

Helena: Not quite, but I certainly have an interest in Spirit Magic, especially Soul Binding.

[Spoiler=Soul Binding?]Soul Binding is a type of advanced Spirit Magic that binds a creature's soul to something other thasn their own body.

The most common use of Soul Binding is to become a Lich, allowing the caster to "live" forever by becoming undead, although Helena is interested in this type of magic for other reasons…[/Spoiler]

Gobediah: Soul Binding?! My goodness, you've got some rather creepy interests for such a cute young girl…

Helena smiled when she heard Gobediah call her "cute", as she wasn't used to hearing such things, due to her unusual appearance.

Helena: But yeah, I came out here to level, and I just happened to find this thing while looking for demons to kill.

Gobediah was surprised to hear that she was already adventuring at such a young age, and even more surprised to hear her talk so nonchalantly about killing demons.

Gobediah: Most adventurers avoid this place at night, you know.

Helena: As boring as it is here during the daytime, I don't get why…

Helena: I mean, it'd be a nice place to go on a picnic or something, but who the hell would want to level up by fighting slimes and rats?

Gobediah burst out in laughter, and although he still thought that she was crazy for coming here at night, he found her decidedly blunt remarks about fighting the daytime monsters to be both accurate and quite refreshing to hear.

Gobediah: Hahaha! Yes, I suppose you're right.

Gobediah: Anyway, let me tell you about the history of this forest…

Gobediah: Long ago, this forest – like all forests – was inhabited by Wood Elves and Forest Fairies.

Gobediah: According to my people's official records, we invaded this forest long ago with a great army that even included summoned demons, massacred all of the natives, and conquered it in honor of the Snake.

Helena: You don't actually buy that though, do you?

Gobediah: No, I'm not that foolish.

Gobediah: It seems as though my people's ancestors were actually escaped slaves and deserters from the Unholy Alliance, and although I don't know this for certain, I'm guessing that the Wood Elves actually offered us refuge here, on the condition that we don't harm the forest or any of the creatures who live here.

[Spoiler=Unholy Alliance?]The Unholy Alliance is the name normally used to refer to the alliance of the various races who served Balroth long ago, including the Goblins, Hobgoblins, Orcs, Ogres, Trolls, and Demons, as well as some Humans and Giants.

The alliance was led by an elite ruling class of Demons and Hobgoblins, and all others who were a part of the alliance basically served them, and also were the ones actually fighting on the front lines.

Slavery was common practice within the Unholy Alliance, and many Goblins, Orcs, and others were actually enslaved by their fellow alliance members the Demons and the Hobgoblins, and many of these slaves (including Gobediah's ancestors) tried to free themselves from their enslavement by escaping from alliance territory and seeking asylum from the Unholy Alliance's many enemies, such as the Elves, the Dwarves, and the Humans. [/Spoiler]

Gobediah paused for a moment, and let out a deep sigh before continuing.

Gobediah: …My people have so much blood on our hands, Helena. Those Adventurers who see us as nothing more than monsters? They were once right, you know…

Helena: Yeah, I know the sorts of evil things that Balrothists do, but you were never "monsters", just evil people.

Helena: Plenty of Humans and members of other races have also served Balroth, and the things they've done are no different than what your people have done in the past. Like my mom always says: "hate the sin, not the sinner".

Gobediah was both relieved and impressed to hear Helena say that.

Gobediah: Yes, I suppose you're right…

Gobediah: Anyway, as you've probably already figured out, my ancestors abided by the terms of the treaty that we had made with the Wood Elves and Forest Fairies living here, and we lived in the village in the forest with the Elves, but in order to continue performing our Balrothic prayer rituals we required blood sacrifices, and so we would sneak out into the nearby Human village at night to abduct children for that purpose…

Gobediah paused again for a moment and let out yet another sigh of deep regret and shame, before continuing to tell his people's story.

Gobediah: …Eventually, the Elves and Fairyfolk became disgusted by what their agreement to offer us shelter here was enabling, but rather than going back on their word and turning us over to the Unholy Alliance or the Humans, they simply decided to leave their own forest.

Helena: I see…

Helena: But if I understood you correctly, your people's agreement with the Elves and Fairies would've prevented your ancestors from building something like this here in the heart of the forest, right?

Gobediah: Yes, that is correct.

Gobediah: Although my ancestors were certainly stupid enough to do something like that, the Elves would've never allowed us to build this eyesore in such a sacred place, and they certainly never would've allowed us to spill the blood of children here.

Gobediah: As far as I can tell, my people actually continued to abide by the terms of our agreement with the Elves and Fairyfolk even long after they had left, but a few hundred years ago, a Human man came to our village and asked my ancestor, Gregorio Gobkins, to teach him the secrets of how to summon demons.

Gobediah: Contrary to our village's official records, I don't think anyone who's ever lived there has been powerful enough to summon demons, and all my ancestor did was simply offer him a copy of the Book of the Snake, and told him that it had all of the necessary information to do so in it, which is true.

[Spoiler=The Book of the Snake?]Just as the Book of Evelyn and the Book of Adaman are the holy books of Evelynists and Adamantists respectively, the Book of the Snake is the unholy book of those who worship the demon god Balroth, AKA "the Snake".

While the Books of Evelyn and Adaman are freely available throughout Sangai, the Book of the Snake is banned almost everywhere, due to its promotion of (among many other evil things) the ritualistic sacrifice of children to perform so-called "blood magic". [/Spoiler]

Helena: I see… So did this Human Balrothist build this thing?

Gobediah: Yes, he did.

Gobediah: Unfortunately, the Human man was not truly devoted to Balroth like my ancestors were. He was just a weak, greedy man, driven solely by his selfish desire to attain wealth and power, and who was willing to do anything to get it.

Helena: What was this man's name?

Gobediah: Slick Rotfink.

Gobediah: I have to admit, he actually did a pretty good job making this idol, and the blood certainly seems to be of sufficient quality, so my guess is that he recited the incantation incorrectly, or perhaps he just wasn't powerful enough to open up a proper connection to Muspelheim.

Helena: So he's the one responsible for the curse here, but he didn't summon all of these demons?

Gobediah: Yes, that is correct.

Gobediah: Although he messed up the demon summoning ritual, he unfortunately built this idol directly on top of the abandoned Fairy Spring, the very heart of the forest itself.

Gobediah: When he spilled the blood of those children during his ritual, their blood – infused with his Dark Magic – spilled directly into the Fairy Spring and desecrated it, corrupting the entire forest and causing this curse.

Helena: What about your people? How do they feel about all of this stuff?

Gobediah thought about it for a moment, and then answered.

Gobediah: Speaking solely for the people of my village, I can say that this thing is just a threat to us and our new way of life, and we have no sentimental attachments to it or anything related to Balroth anymore whatsoever.

Gobediah: Shortly after Slick's ritual, the demons started appearing every night in this forest, and despite the fact that we still continued to offer blood sacrifices to Balroth, the demons attacked us whenever they saw us, just like everyone else.

Gobediah: The people of my village no longer worship the Snake or the Demon Lords, nor do we worship the War God that your Human government would have us serve, as we have no desire for unnecessary conflict.

Helena: Who do you worship then? Evelyn? Or perhaps you worship the Dragon God like me and Necky?

Helena looked down at the roaches on the ground, and noticed that they seemed to be paying particular attention to her and Necky for some reason.

Gobediah: Dragons have a god? And I thought that they just worshipped themselves, ehehe!

Helena wasn't amused by Gobediah's joke, but she let it go, and continued watching the roaches on the ground.

Gobediah: …Anyway, although we had an Evelynist missionary visit us once around 100 years ago, only a handful of us began worshipping the Peace Goddess afterwards, and I am not among them.

Gobediah paused for a moment, then continued.

Gobediah: It was when that missionary came that the last of us finally abandoned our evil ways and renounced Balroth. Most of us may not yet be ready to accept his Goddess, but he successfully convinced us all that it was wrong to murder children, even as an offering to a "god".

Gobediah: I, like most of the people of my village, now worship the Forest Goddess Arboridae, as it is this forest that has kept us safe for all of these years, and all of the people of my village want whatever is best for the forest, even if it means betraying our former god.

[Spoiler=Aroridae?]Arboridae is the goddess of forests and woodlands, and is one of what are known as the nature gods.

There are countless different nature gods worshipped throughout Midgard, and many nature god worshippers actually worship multiple of them.

Generally speaking, nature god worshippers are peaceful people who avoid unnecessary conflicts and live in harmony with both the natural world and members of other peace-loving religions such as Evelynism, although their religious beliefs (just like Evelynism) are still outlawed in the Evilonian Empire, and many Evilonian nature god worshippers have been forced into military service as well. [/Spoiler]

Helena: …Uh-huh…

Helena WAS listening to Gobediah, but she was still focused intensely on the roaches on the ground…

Helena: …Hey Mr. Gobkins, what's up with all of the cockroaches around this thing?

Gobediah looked down at the roaches himself, and then spoke.

Gobediah: They've actually been gathering in this place ever since the curse first began hundreds of years ago, but we've never been able to figure out why…

Necky: …Roaches have always been drawn to the foulest of places, and the sanctity of this place has been fouled.

Necky: Shortly after Datenshi killed me and most of my kind during the Great Reset, I remember seeing roaches scurrying about unharmed, feasting on their rotting remains…



Then, without any warning, Helena started rapid-firing Holy Bolts at the roaches, killing many of them and causing the rest of them to scurry away.

Gobediah: Gah! What the hell is wrong with you you lunatic?!

Helena: I got tired of those roaches spying on me and Necky.

Helena: …I mean, I don't mind the queen's spies because they're just looking out for me, but whatever creep those filthy, disease-ridden little dung-eaters serve can go to Hell.

Gobediah: …You're one of those paranoid Tin Helmet wearing types, aren't you?

Helena: I would be, but my Strength stat and armor skills are all 0, which means that I couldn't wear a Tin Helmet even if I wanted to.

Helena: Besides, the Union's nationwide Neuromatrix doesn't seem to affect me very much anyway, probably due to my high Willpower stat.

[Spoiler=Neuromatrix?]According to some conspiracy theorists, the Union of the Snake has a powerful Neuromantic (mind control magic) spell cast over the entire population of the Evilonian Empire known as the Neuromatrix.

The Neuromatrix is said to affect people by altering their understanding of reality in very subtle and specific ways, and some people believe that by wearing a Tin Helmet on their head they can shield themselves from its effects. [/Spoiler]

It was at this point that Gobediah realized 2 things about Helena: why she used magic to kill the roaches instead of just stomping on them (because her Strength stat of 0 means that her stomping them wouldn't have hurt them), and also that she was completely insane.

Helena: Anyway, I'm guessing that lifting the curse isn't going to be as simple as trashing this ugly owl statue, is it?

Gobediah: No, tearing down a statue won't solve anything on its own. Otherwise, we'd have done that ourselves a long time ago.

Gobediah: The real problem is that the Fairy Spring has been defiled by Slick's evil blood magic. If you can purify the water in the spring, the curse will be lifted.

Gobediah then remembered that Helena had used Light Magic to attack the roaches before.

Gobediah: If your Light Magic is powerful enough to slay the demons generated by the curse, then it's probably also powerful enough to purify the water in the spring, but once you do, there's going to be trouble…

Helena: What kind of trouble?

Gobediah: What makes demons different than people, animals, and monsters is that they lack a soul, and are driven purely by the sinful impulses of their flesh, as well as by the commands given to them by more dominant demons, going all the way up to Balroth itself.

Gobediah: Normally demons are spawned in the pits of Muspelheim, but the demons that appear in this forest are different. This corrupted Fairy Spring has actually been generating these demons right here in Midgard, feeding off of the sins of those living in the area and using its life-giving powers to give them flesh, making them into the demons that appear here at night.

Gobediah: The problem is that the worst sin ever committed here – the desecration of the Fairy Spring by killing those 13 children here – has never assumed a physical form, and once the spring water has been purified it will most likely do so.

Helena: And let me guess: it's going to possess that giant owl statue, isn't it?

Gobediah: Most likely, and it is not until the physical manifestation of the curse itself appears in its demonic form and is defeated that the curse will finally be lifted.

Gobediah: …Of course, I should also mention that this idol was made in the image of 1 of the 6 Demon Overlords named Moreku. Although the demon that will appear after you purify the spring is only going to have a tiny fragment of Moreku's power within it, Moreku is among the most terrifying and powerful demons in all of Muspelheim, and the demon that appears here is likely to know at least 1 or 2 of its abilities.

Helena: I'm assuming it'll basically be a much nastier version of those "Morekian Snatchers" that I've been fighting here then, right?

Gobediah: Yes, that is correct. The Morekian Snatchers that appear in this forest are servants of Moreku as well, although the demon that this idol will become will be more of a representative of Moreku than a servant, albeit a rather weak one.

Helena: …You know, if we could get the queen, the king, or even one of the princesses out here, they could probably purify the spring and kill the demon with both hands tied behind their back.

Gobediah: Yes, you're probably right…

Helena: Still, I'm sure I'm going to get a TON of EXP for taking this creepy thing out, so I'll go ahead and do it myself anyway.

Helena grinned mischievously.

Gobediah: Very well then, I shall assist you in defeating it.

Gobediah was both the elder of his village and also the highest level person there, and he was one of the few Goblins in the area strong enough protect his people against the nocturnal demons whenever they tried to attack the Goblin village, as well as being powerful enough to fend off any racist Human Adventurers who might try to attack them during the day.

Helena wasn't quite as high level as Gobediah yet, but thanks to her gaining so many levels defeating the demons in the forest and her superior magical skills and stats, she was already considerably more powerful than him despite that technicality.

Although there were other Goblins in the village who were capable of holding their own against the demons, they were busy defending the village in Gobediah's absence, and Helena didn't think that their help would be necessary for this battle anyway.

Helena then purified the water in the corrupted Fairy Spring with her Light Magic, and then the Idol of Moreku transformed from a clay sculpture to an actual flesh and blood demon, and it immediately turned its attention to Helena and spoke.

Part 2