Adventure World Online (AWO)

"Big bro, is that lion a puppet too? Why can it move? Mine can't do that at all."

Luther asked curiously as Chang Long returned to sit among her pets.

"Oh, that's because Fluffy Head-chan's actually a spirit living inside a puppet. Yours doesn't have a spirit in it, so it can't move."

Chang Long replied as she fondly ruffled the boy's hair.

"I see. In that case, I'll put a spirit in my puppet too. That way, it can move just like Fluffy Head-chan."

The little goat-boy grinned brightly, delighted that he had finally solved the mystery of how Fluffy Head-chan—a puppet—could move around and talk just like a real person.

"You can actually do that!"

Devi-chan asked in surprise. It would not be too odd for a high-level beast like Luther to possess a unique skill. But forcing a soul into a puppet—well, how would that even work when done by a magical beast?

"Mhm. If Uncle Devi doesn't believe me, just wait—once I find a soul I like, I'll show you."

Luther replied.

That night, while everyone was resting, Luther went out wandering in search of a suitable soul in the area, trailed by Devi-chan, Hisa-chan, and Fluffy Head-chan. Clutched tightly in the boy's arms was his favorite puppet, made for him by Chang Long, which he would not let out of his grasp for even a moment. What they saw, was a bizarre sight, as he used a skill without calling it out—semi-transparent silhouettes appeared scattered throughout the area. Some shaped like humans, others like various animals.

Luther wandered among them, carefully looking for the one he wanted. His other hand dragged along another wooden puppet he had requested from Chang Long. Though the other three still had no idea how Luther planned to insert a soul into a demon puppet, they did not ask. In a few more minutes, they would find out for themselves.

"Uwaaaah~"

A wailing cry of grief and sorrow drew the attention of Luther and Chang Long's spirits. They turned to look—and saw that the voice belonged to a male spirit dressed in the uniform of a Spanish colonial soldier. Fluffy Head-chan stared at the spirit as if it looked vaguely familiar—and then suddenly, it clicked.

"You. You're the one who told me to bite your boot."

The little lion roared, clearly still furious. Luther smiled, then turned to ask Fluffy Head-chan,

"Wanna get revenge, brother?"

"What are you even talking about, Lu? Can you get revenge on a ghost?"

Fluffy Head-chan asked, confused. Devi-chan and Hisa-chan, on the other hand, were listening intently. They wanted to know—did Luther have a skill like Chang Long, the Leviathan, or the Reapers, one that could harm spirits?

"I asked Big Bro for another puppet to try putting a soul in. I haven't done it in forever, so this one is perfect. There's no need to regret if I accidentally shatter his spirit. But if it works, I'll turn the guy into my servant. Hehehe."

The five-year-old's response came with a disturbingly twisted smile that left everyone feeling a bit unsettled—but they still agreed with his plan. That loudmouth, poor-mannered soldier ghost totally deserved it.

"Do it, Lu. Grab him and work him to the bone!"

Fluffy Head-chan cheered. Luther beamed and stepped toward the spirit, while the other three watched closely.

He reached out and touched the ghost. The spirit recoiled and looked at him in shock, but before he could do anything, Luther yanked him violently toward him and started forcing him into the demon puppet on the ground. The soldier's ghost screamed in agony as Luther's claws sank into its translucent form, pressing, pounding, and slamming him down again and again.

"Get in! Get in! You stubborn little wretch—get in the damn puppet already. Hehehe..."

Thump!

Thump!

"Aaaargh! Oww! Help. It hurts—it really hurts!"

If they had not seen it with their own eyes, they would not have believed it. The ghost was slammed so hard he began coughing up blood. His face and eyes were a display of tremendous pain as Luther shoved him deeper into the puppet. Blow after blow came down mercilessly, the ghost's face was twisting in agony, tears streaming down--until the fading spirit was finally pushed fully inside the puppet's body.

"Owww~"

The demon puppet began to stir, groaning in pain, and slowly transformed into a tiny Spanish soldier with a thoroughly battered and bruised appearance. The spirit-turned-puppet glanced around in a daze. When he saw Luther, sheer terror overtook his face, and he bolted—only to trip over a rock and crash to the ground.

"Freeze right there."

Luther commanded. The puppet froze instantly, stuck in the awkward position of trying to stand up, his entire body trembling from the strain of holding himself still.

"You're my servant now, puppet. I'm going to name you, Lamia."

"I don't even have a wife! Who am I supposed to go la-mia!"

The freshly possessed demon puppet shouted.

"You idiot! I didn't tell you to go say goodbye to your wife—I named you Lamia. It's the name of a super sexy snake lady I'm obsessed with!"

Luther snapped, smacking Lamia on the head so hard the puppet tumbled over.

"But I'm a guy! Why are you giving me the name of some sexy snake lady!"

Lamia looked up at him with an exasperated face.

"Fine, I'll tell you. She rejected me—that's why. So now, she'll serve me as my slave, even if it's just by name. Now then, follow me, obey me, and carry out my every order without question. Otherwise, you're in for worse than what you just went through."

Luther replied with a smug expression before issuing a serious command to Lamia.

"Damn, this kid's... seriously messed up."

Devi-chan went pale.

"Haha, yeah, I was thinking the same thing."

Hisa-chan laughed awkwardly, still a bit shocked by the method Luther had used to seal the spirit.

Lamia could not defy Luther's commands and had no choice but to obey. Luther continued searching for another soul that caught his eye, but still had not found one even after a while. Luther began to feel discouraged. Then, while resting, he spotted a large sabertooth tiger spirit licking its fur.

"That's the one! If I stuff it into a puppet, it'll end up small and cute just like Fluffy Head-chan!"

Luther exclaimed gleefully, making Fluffy Head-chan flinch at the mention.

"Hold up, kid. That thing's huge. You really think you can just grab it and force it in without something going wrong?"

Devi-chan asked, worried. Meanwhile, Lamia secretly grinned with delight, hoping his new master would get mauled by the giant feline.

"Nah. If it's something I like, I won't be rough with it."

Luther replied, holding the puppet Chang Long had made for him.

"Wait, there's a way to do it without the rough stuff?"

Devi-chan asked in disbelief, floating in closer for a better look.

"Of course there is. Just watch."

Luther's response made Lamia's smile freeze, a slight grimace flickering on his face—but Luther did not notice. He was too focused on the sabertooth tiger spirit in front of him.

The little boy—who barely even looked human—calmly walked up to the spirit. The tiger glanced at him for a moment before resuming grooming itself. Luther gently reached out and touched the spirit's body, then began to chant in a soft, melodic voice:

"O soul, O spirit of beast and kin. All whom I long to call within. Hear now the tune, this calling hymn. And drift, and float, and follow in~"

The language sounded ancient and indecipherable, yet its melody was hauntingly beautiful. The spirit in the palm of the little demon's hand seemed to fall under a spell. The sabertooth tiger calmly approached and entered the puppet in Luther's hand without resistance—leaving Devi-chan, Hisa-chan, and Fluffy Head-chan utterly stunned. They noticed that other spirits in the area also seemed briefly enchanted by the singing. But as soon as the song ended, the spirits blinked in confusion and quietly drifted back to their own realms.

"See, Uncle Devi? I got it—just like I said I would. Easy, right?"

Luther turned and flashed a toothy grin. In his hands, the demon puppet slowly began to take shape as a small sabertooth tiger, cutely twitching its limbs as it came to life. Lamia, watching from the side, was seething with annoyance.

"Hehehe, figures. You really are a beast of the ancients. Come on, we should head back. Missy's probably worried by now—and besides, I bet you're dying to show off your little pet to her."

Devi-chan remarked, clearly amused. Luther nodded excitedly and took off running toward their camp, eager to show off his puppet imbued with a spirit.

"C'mon, Lamia. Keep up—and if you try to run off, I swear you'll die a second time!" The little Lucifer ordered his demon puppet servant, then happily dashed off to find Chang Long again.

The next morning, Luther ran up to Chang Long, eager to show off his new demon puppet before she headed out to negotiate with the Spanish soldiers again. Lamia stood beside him, while the sabertooth tiger—now named Fangy for its long, prominent fangs—was nearby. Chang Long was surprised that Luther had managed to place a spirit into a demon puppet, though she had no idea how he had done it. She greeted Lamia and Fangy, then reminded Luther to take good care of his puppets before joining her warriors for breakfast. They had hunted a large deer, now roasting and filling the area with a mouth-watering aroma

.

From proud soldier to one-foot-tall puppet, Lamia now served as a waiter, rushing back and forth delivering food under orders from his new master, much to everyone's astonishment. Killer, who had never seen the strange puppet before, picked Lamia up mid-run—but got a solid kick in the arm from the little thing and had to let go.

After breakfast, Lamia sat gasping for breath, earning a satisfied smirk from Fluffy Head-chan. And that was not the end of it—Luther made his puppet-servant clean up the entire area alone, while the rest of the group headed off once again to confront the Spanish soldiers.

"Poor thing…"

Anya murmured as she watched Lamia being worked without pause.

"He's not poor at all, Anya. That guy was nasty to Fluffy Head-chan. What he's getting now is way too lenient if you ask me."

Brownie snapped, clearly annoyed that Anya seemed more sympathetic toward someone other than himself.

"But he was already killed as a way to pay the price. There's no reason to keep bullying him like this."

Anya still felt it was unfair that Lamia had to keep atoning even after death.

"Some crimes, little girl, aren't paid for by death alone. But I'd say in his case, it's just karma."

Devi-chan said with a loud laugh, showing not an ounce of sympathy for Lamia. Brownie liked that answer so much he secretly gave Devi a thumbs-up—too scared to do it openly, worried that Anya might scold him for it.

"Karma?"

Anya echoed, glancing between Lamia, who was frantically running about, and Luther, who cradled Fangy in his arms while pointing and giving nonstop orders.

"I guess you're right."

The fairy girl muttered, then turned her attention back to the negotiations between Chang Long and the Spanish army commander. It looked like they had come to an agreement—and had set a time for their joint assault to reclaim the mine from the beasts.

Orders for deployment were passed out to both Chang Long's forces and the Spanish troops. The arrangement was a curious hybrid, but it seemed balanced enough. The Spanish soldiers believed they had a better chance of survival now that they were assigned to mixed squads including the reborn warriors and dark elves. On the other hand, Chang Long's forces saw the Spanish soldiers as excellent bait—perfect for drawing out the beasts so they could take them down more easily.

"Once each squad's at full strength, spread out to your assigned positions. Looks like we're in for another good time."Chang Long chuckled lowly, clearly looking forward to the battle, which unsettled the Spanish commander more than a little. But he had no other choice—his men could not afford to die for nothing. Losing face in front of other units was not an option. If there was any hope of a miracle, it was through cooperating with Chang Long and seizing the mine. It might bruise their pride, but that was better than dying with nothing to show for it.

As they advanced toward the mine, Chang Long's group received a warm welcome from the beast. The creatures charged the moment they crossed the boundary into beast territory and launched a fierce assault. The Spanish soldiers fell into standard defensive formations, just as they had trained, trying to fend off the wave of chicken-crested raptors—beasts known for their agility and coordinated pack attacks. But the Spanish troops were lucky this time: Chang Long's warriors swiftly tore through the raptors with ease.

"Hehehe, thanks to them, this is a piece of cake."

Killer laughed gleefully.

"Poor guys, being used as bait."

Murder commented with faux sympathy—his expression betraying no real concern.

"That didn't sound sincere at all."

Brownie, perched on Anya's shoulder, called him out. Murder just let out a low chuckle before slicing clean through another chicken-crested raptor, severing its head in one blow.

The warriors pressed on, cutting through beasts along the way. Their skill stunned the Spanish troops—not only were they fast, but their attacks were devastatingly precise, capable of killing in just a few strikes. It was not long before the group had pushed close to the mine. But the closer they got, the denser and more aggressive the beasts became. The ground was packed with enemies, making it nearly impossible to maneuver or strike effectively.

Now the Spanish soldiers were in real danger. Compared to Chang Long's elite, their combat ability was low. Surrounded on all sides, panic spread through their ranks, and many were killed before they could react—falling like leaves in autumn.

"This place really is a nightmare."

Chang Long muttered. None of her people had died yet, but many were wounded.

"Just a little further, missy. Once we reach the mine itself, it'll all be over."

Devi-chan offered encouragement, and her companions nodded in agreement. Though all of them bore injuries, no one was ready to give up. Just a little more, and they would finally reach their goal.

"Mm. Hang in there, everyone."

Chang Long said, and then leapt into the air—high above the battlefield—escaping the swarm of beasts below.

"Spread wings!"

She ordered, her wings unfurling as she soared toward the massive mine entrance visible in the distance. She only needed to reach it—once the symbol on the mine changed to her own, it would all be over.