Chương 139: Chapter 130-The End of The Chosen Ball

You ever had one of those moments you immediately regret? I'm talking about when you put your foot in your mouth, kind of deal. Like when you congratulate someone on the baby, and then they tell you they aren't pregnant, or when you go for a handshake with a guy who doesn't have an arm. Gods forbid you accidentally snatch a Gang Lords coin purse. These are times you almost immediately regret. Well, I just put myself in one of those moments.

I mean, it's not really my fault; It was instinct to call the woman in front of me 'Auntie Nina.' Everyone in the room looks at me in confusion. Come on, think of a [Lie] to get you out of this. I didn't say 'Auntie', I said… Ah, fuck! I mean, how am I supposed to spin this? The woman before me is Auntie Nina! Which is impossible in and of itself. I mean, I buried her with my own two hands after all. The Emperor looks down at me with suspicion.

"Do you know this woman, Chosen One?" he asks.

"Yes and no," I say, choosing my words very carefully. Archduke Krait walks over.

"Are you telling me you know the attacker? That's odd. It's also interesting that you knew these intruders were going to be here. How did you say you knew the attack was going to happen again?"

"You're not implying anything, are you, Archduke?" I ask.

"Of course not, but even you can see how suspicious this looks, can't you? All I'm asking is for you to explain," he says with a slight hint of venom. My gaze moves across the small crowd around me. I need to be very careful in this situation. I can't [Lie] because, for whatever reason, the Emperor can detect it. I also can't tell the truth either. If they find my connection to Ashfall, this whole fake history that Abrigon built might fall apart.

I can't even tell them about the Prideborn, lest I wish to deal with the questions about why I was skulking about in the Palace. Hells, now I'm certainly in a pickle, but I love pickles. With a determined look, I step towards the woman who looks like Auntie Nina. Archduke Krait goes to put his hand on my shoulder, but before he can touch me, an oppressive presence cripples the room. My knees almost buckle, but I manage to keep my composure.

"Tyra, I'm fine. He was merely being cautious," I say, hiding the tremble in my voice.

"Apologies. I was… overly cautious," Tyra says as the oppressive presence disappears.

"May I?" I ask the Archduke as I gesture to the women.

"Of course, Chosen One," he says as he begrudgingly steps to the side. Stepping past him, I look down at the women. Purple eyes, sheep horns, and pointy ears. Certainly a Vashrin, even looks like Auntie Nina, but the way she looks at me… It's filled with hate; It can't be her. The question is, who is she? I could hand her The Chosen Blade and see if the Curses on it affect her, but that would be more hassle than it's worth. This is obviously the work of the Purists, but how?

I grab my Leech Dagger and slash at her cheek. The room tenses as if they expected me to cut her throat. A faint trickle of blood flows down her face. Not a [Disguise], it would've broken the moment I cut her. A Shapeshifter?

"Could I get some fire?" I ask. Archduke Krait cocks his head before producing a flame in his hand.

"What are you doing, Chosen One?" he asks with more curiosity than suspicion.

"I'm trying to find an explanation. That's what you wanted, right?" I ask as I grab a broken chair leg. Archduke Krait burns the edges of the chair leg.

"You believe that she is using some sort of illusion magic? I do not sense anything of that sort," he says.

"Something like that," I say as I gently hover the flames near her hand. Nothing. Not a Shapeshifter nor a [Disguise]. I really hope this next part doesn't work. I place my hand on her head and [Clean] it. She winces in pain, but nothing else. I let out a sigh of relief. Not an Undead either. Then what in the hells is this?

"Tyra, you're an Archmage. Is there some sort of magic that could be used to take someone else's appearance, excluding the ones I just tested for?" I ask as my eyes never leave the intruders.

"Yes, there are, but I would need more information to narrow it down from the hundreds that I know," she says as she walks over to us. The Emperor steps forward.

"This woman resembles someone you know; Am I correct to assume that she is no longer of this realm?"

"Yes, she died. I'm sure of it." Tyra nods.

"That narrows it down to the nasty ones. Stand back. This might get a bit… messy." Taking a step back, I bump into Penelope, who gives me a reassuring nod. Hopper pats my shoulder before looking over to the side at something. Tyra places her hand on the intruder's head and closes her eyes. The moment she does, a large gold magic circle encompasses both of them. The voice of Auntie Nina begins to scream out in pain as blood pours out of her every orifice. My whole body tenses as I force myself not to react.

It's not her. I buried her. That's not her. I go to rub the scar on my wrist, but before I can, Penelope grabs my hand. Her warmth spreads into me, calming me ever so slightly… but it's enough for me to regain my composure. The circle suddenly disappears as Tyra opens her eyes.

"Animals," she says with quiet disdain.

"What is it?"

"Dark magic is at work here. These are not her eyes," Tyra says, much to the intruder's surprise.

"You're not saying…" I say as the words struggle to escape. Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more. Archduke Krait looks over at the intruder.

"[Transmutation], a [Skill] that allows you to permanently change the body of another using a sample as its base. In this case, the eyes. How barbaric," he says with disdain.

"This intruder is neither a Vashrin nor is she the woman that The Chosen One is familiar with. Then can someone tell me who she is and why she attacked my home?" Emperor Rowan asks with a trace of anger.

"I believe her to be a Purist or at least in league with them. I had already been attacked by a group of them earlier in the week. I feared that they would try again during the party, but I did not think they would be so bold. I apologize that my presence led to their attack," I say, picking my words very carefully.

"Purists, of course. Cockroaches that never seem to die. Brother, take these criminals to the dungeon. Get as much information as you can. I want to know everything," the Emperor says with more than a hint of anger.

"My pleasure brot-" Hopper suddenly tenses at the same time I get a bad feeling. My gaze lands on the woman who stole Auntie Nina's face. The shock in her eyes suddenly shifts to one of Pride as a spark of dark magic crackles around her head.

"Everybody down!" Hopper and I yell as I grab Penelope and try to shield her." For Purity." Every single one of the Purists in the room suddenly explodes in an almost chain-like reaction. Bracing for the damage, I… feel nothing? Looking up, I am greeted by the sight of large green vines that have wrapped around us in a protective dome. Archduke Aster brushes some dust off his jacket as he regards his work.

"Thank you, Calix. It seems that they were rigged to explode in the event of capture. How frustrating," Emperor Rowan says as he gives me an odd look. I slowly get off Penelope, now realizing that there was no real point to my shielding her. In fact, she has [Shield]. Why did I even bother? She should've been covering me! Gods!

"It would seem that the Ball has come to its conclusion. Penelope, if you would dismiss our guests. We have a lot of work to get to," the Emperor says as he looks around at the ruined Garden Ballroom.

"She's going to be quite angry at the state of this place."

"Thank you for having me. I bid you farewell," I say as I leave the room as quickly as possible. I do not want to be here for even one more second. Way too many crazy and observant people in one place. Also, I need to do something with this Unicorn horn before my soul leaves this mortal coil. All that to say, I need to get the fuck out of here! Skill <Steal> has Leveled Up +2 INT +2 LCK +4 CHA What a day, and a long one at that, but I made it.

In fact, I wasn't even hurt, but somehow that was the most stressed I've ever been in quite some time. With a sigh, I open the door to my room. Now, I just need to… What am I supposed to do with this Unicorn horn?

"You must stab yourself with it," Brown says.

"Ah, of course. Wait! What do you mean I have to stab myself with this?! Do you see how long and pointy this thing is? I'll fucking die!" I exclaim as I gesture to the horn.

"Do not worry. The healing properties of the horn will keep you from dying. Now, stab yourself," Brown says without a hint of humour in her voice.

"You know, Brown, if I didn't know any better, I would say that you're enjoying this," I say as I grab the Unicorn horn and point it at my stomach.

"..."

"At least pretend to be offended," I say as I pull the Unicorn horn back and go to plunge it into my stomach.

"Wait!" Brown yells. The horn stops right at the edge of my stomach.

"Now's not the time to be joking around."

"Vashrin… I'm sorry," she says with a somber tone.

"What are you apologizing for? A small joke is nothing to worry about."

"No, I truly am sorry. That's not a real Unicorn horn. I can sense it from here. It's a fake," she says in a quiet voice. My stomach drops as I look down at the horn in my hand.

"No, I… You have to be wrong. This is a real Unicorn horn. It's the horn that Argus had a lead on. It's the same horn that Prideborn… She gave me the horn without any fuss. Fuck," I say as a sudden realization passes over me.

"Vashrin, maybe it's time for you to give up and see the Holy Maiden," Yellow says. With a sigh, I sit on my bed, loosen my tie, and kick my shoes off. All that work for nothing. Just my luck. I guess I really will have to- My hand brushes up against a package on my bed. What's this? I grab it and look at a note left on it.

'You left this on my bed. Must have gotten mixed up in my mail. Just got around to looking at it today. Hope it wasn't important. Signed, Hopper.' I slowly open the box. A laugh bellows out of me as I pull a Unicorn horn out of the box. Looking further into the box, I find another note.

'Thought you might need this after your stunt with the sword. I recommend you use it soon if you don't want to die. Signed, Your Boss. P. S. This is coming out of your pay.'

"Hey, Brown. Is this one real?" I ask as I shake my head.

"Yeah, it is. To think it was here all this time," Brown says with a hint of relief hidden in her voice. With a laugh, I stab myself in the stomach. Pain ripples through me as the Unicorn horn slowly disappears inside of me. Then relief.

"Just my luck," I say with a devilish smile. Skill <Soul Res. > has been gained. +1 CON +1 LCK