Nameless King

Wain sat at the bar for about thirty minutes. He smoked, enjoyed the expensive whiskey, and thought. 

He needed a little respite to digest all the information he had received, for he had much more to learn.

"Are you ready to go on?" Sven asked, smiling.

"Yes, there is only one race left that I have already met. It is demons. Tell me about them."

"Sure." Proclaimed Sven and put his hand to the crystal ball.

An image of a tall man with two horns on his head and a woman appeared. Demons were also quite a beautiful race. They could be compared to elves, they were two sides of the same coin.

Elves looked calm, graceful, and peaceful, while demons, on the contrary, were attracted by their aggressiveness, activity, and warlike aura.

"Let's start as usual. Demons are a rather diverse race. Their appearance can be anything, any color of eyes, hair, and skin. They're quite tall and have an athletic physique, though some demons who don't fight can lose their form."

Wain nodded, "I want to ask you something. How different are the horns of demons, and does that affect their strength? Also, does the color of their skin, hair, or eyes have anything to do with the attribute they use?"

"Yes and no. Let's start with the horns. Demons, like everyone else, have a rank and hierarchy system. Some races put a lot of emphasis on it, and some try not to pay much attention to it. Elves are of the former, while demons are of the latter."

"Hmm? Are you saying that for demons, the hierarchy is not so important?"

"Yes, of course, demons do observe some chain of command, but unlike Elves, something they value far more than origin."

"What's that?"

Sven clenched his fist, "It's strength and fighting spirit. Demons are a race that values respect and reputation. It's not uncommon to come across a situation where a weaker demon with a worse pedigree challenges a nobleman for some reason.

Of course, that demon is likely to lose, but if the reason is worthy and he fights to the very end, he will gain public support. Demons like these situations, they believe that any warrior should have an unwavering fighting spirit."

"I see, so what about the horns?"

"Horns... Each demon has its horns, and yes, it affects their strength and abilities, or rather it is some indicator. The shape of the horns can be anything, as well as the number, but the length and the energy in the horns are very important."

Wain nodded. When he got to the Purgatory area and met Ayla and Keya, first, they thought he was a demon. Wain didn't understand how they could have that assumption, but now it all fell into place.

'My hair is pretty thick, and if my horns weren't more than a one inch long, you couldn't see them.' Wain thought.

"The shorter the horns, the weaker the demon? Right?"

"In general terms, yes, but horns can grow and develop and even multiply. For demons, the horns are a full-fledged organ that depends on energy and can change just about anything."

"Hmm, I see, but I take it there's a limit to how long a demon's horns are?"

Wain realized that it was unlikely that powerful demons had horns several meters long. It would have looked too unnatural and strange.

"Yes, there are limitations. After that, the horns stop growing and only accumulate energy in them. Thirty centimeters is the maximum. I think if it were longer, it would get in the way of combat." Sven pronounced.

"Okay, what about skin color, hair color, and eye color? Does that determine which attribute the demon uses?"

"Yes, but it doesn't have to. Demons are a pretty diverse race, so they have such a concept as Clans. I'm not talking about a group of persons gathered by a leader. These Clans can be compared to bloodlines. For example, most fire demons are members of the same bloodline or fire Clan."

"Understandably, each demon, because of its Clan, has an initial heightened predisposition to one of the attributes. However, if that is the demon's desire, it can evolve in either direction."

"Correct, the demon's appearance also depends on it. There is also an impersonal lineage. They don't have an advantage in any attribute from birth. These demons make their own choices. Representatives of this Clan can be extremely dangerous opponents." Pronounced Sven.

Wain nodded, and Sven continued.

"Demons can live in any area. Most of the time, it depends on their Clan. Obviously, a representative of a fire clan would not live among the glaciers. By the way, there are sometimes skilled artisans and blacksmiths among demons."

"Demons are blacksmiths? I'm surprised..." Wain muttered.

"I think it has to do with the fact that they use different weapons, live in various locations, and have many unusual materials at their disposal."

"How is their society structured?"

"It all depends on power and respect from other demons. They don't have any prejudices about what gender a demon is. They can have either a woman or a man in charge."

"I see. When I was in the arena, I found out that one organization of demons wanted to attack the organization of elves. Is there a feud between these two races? Also, tell me about the relationship between the other races."

"My answer is no. Neither race has a deadly grudge against the other. Of course, all races have different attitudes toward each other, some are more likely to be friends, and some are more likely to be enemies. It's natural. If the two were going to fight each other, it's their personal feud, independent of their race." Pronounced Sven.

Wain nodded. He understood that this was logical. 

Each of the strongest races was too numerous for all race members to hate any other race.

"I see, Sven, you mentioned that there are some pretty good blacksmiths among the demons. At the moment I have one problem, I need an alchemist. Members of what race are the best alchemists?"

"An alchemist, huh? Huh, everyone needs talented alchemists. Well, I'll break it down for you. There are two races. It is generally accepted that their members are the best at alchemy. It's rather ironic, but the two races are radically different from each other."

"Hmm?"

"The first race is the Axalt." Pronounced Sven and touched the crystal ball.

When the 3D image of a woman and a man appeared, Wain's eyes widened in surprise. The Axalts looked like humans who lived in the East during the Middle Ages.

Both the man and the woman had long hair tied into a single bundle. They wore long robes and looked like ancient martial artists. 

The man had a sword with a lotus-shaped keychain behind his back. The girl's robe bore several flowers, and her hands were folded in front of her. 

Their eyes were calm and wise. Even though they looked young, it seemed as if they had already understood the essence of this world. 

Man's eyes seemed to burn with fire, while in the woman's eyes, one could see the calm smoothness of the water.

The Axalt had two features that set them apart from the other races and humans. On the forehead, just above the glabella, both the girl and the man had a strange symbol. 

On the man's chest was a sign in the shape of a sun, and on the woman's, a moon in the shape of a crescent moon.

"If it weren't for those symbols on their foreheads and breasts, I would have thought they were the humans." Mumbled Wain.

"Yes, you do look quite a lot alike. Axalt have predominantly light skin. Their eyes and hair color can be anything. They're born fighters and incredibly physically advanced. Even vampires aren't as fast and strong. I'd say of all the races. Axalt have the best physical attributes."

"I take it they have no attribute limit?"

"Yes, you're right. Also, Axalt can use any weapon, but mostly spears, swords, and hand-to-hand combat." Sven muttered.

"Do these symbols have some purpose? Or is it just a hallmark of their race?" Wain inquired.

"The symbol on their foreheads is their distinguishing feature. Each Axalt has a different symbol, but the sun and moon sign on their breasts is another matter entirely. Look, three rays are coming from the sun on the man's chest, see?"

"Yes, also the moon has two stars burning on the woman's chest. Does that mean something?"

Sven nodded, "It means that the man is a Third Chronicle creature, while the girl is on Second Chronicle. It's their unique indicator. Actually, the sun and moon aren't signs or tattoos. I'd say it's an organ. They call it 'Spirit.'"

"An organ?"

"Yes, you already know that the Inerian has energy threads. The threads are the same organ as the horns of demons or the sun and moon sign of Axalt. Also, 'Spirit' is truly quite robust and feels like stone."

"Is it clear what 'Spirit' has a purpose? And do all men have 'Spirit' in the form of the sun and women in the form of the moon?"

"What 'Spirit' will be is an accident. In this case, gender is unimportant. Nor does their ability or predisposition to the attribute depend on it. 

However, Axalts with 'Spirit' in the form of the sun are more flashy and energetic. The moon, on the other hand, denotes tranquility and peacefulness."

Wain nodded slowly.

"The 'Spirit' has a certain function related to absorbing energy. Earlier I compared the process of energy absorption of humans and other races. At the time, I said that humans eat 'fruit' whole, and impurities are not important for you, but it is important to the other races."

"Yes, I remember your analogy. Unlike the humans, the other races must first purify the 'fruit' and prepare it, and then consume it. The other races spend more time than the humans and get less energy, but they can use energy from the environment."

"The Axalt have a slightly different process. They also absorb energy from the environment or objects, but because of the 'Spirit,' it takes them much longer." Sven pronounced.

"Hmm? Doesn't the 'Spirit' hurt them then?"

"No. They spend more time, but they get about 90% of the energy. Also, thanks to 'Spirit,' during this time, Axalt not only increase their energy reserves, but they also strengthen their bodies. That's one of the reasons why they're so physically strong."

"Is it clear how much more time they need compared to the other races?"

"A hundred times. It's not uncommon for an Axalt to accumulate large amounts of souls and rare plants full of energy and then absorb all that energy for several months. They don't need to purify the souls. Their 'Spirits' does it."

"Hmm, that's interesting. This method has both minuses and pluses. If they can get 90% of the energy, it's more profitable to collect souls and resources rather than absorb energy from the environment. After all, they have to make up for the time cost of doing it somehow." Wain muttered.

Sven nodded, "You're thinking in the right direction. This is also the reason why Axalts are some of the best alchemists. The places they live in are full of different herbs and resources with high energy or special effects. They are well versed in it, and alchemy is in their honor."

"What a curious race. Does Axalt have any other peculiarities? Also, who's in charge?" Wain asked.

"As with demons, it all depends on power. Women and men are equal. I can single out only their love of martial arts about the peculiarities. 

While Elves are more likely to use energy or magic, Axalt relies more on their physical stats and crushing moves. Axalt often lives high in the mountains and can spend years practicing and perfecting their skills."

"Okay, you said there are two races that are considered the best alchemists. What's the second one?"

"Huh, as I said, it's pretty ironic. The second race is the Construct.. They are the most technologically advanced race of all."