THE CROWN OF CROWS

The Clan

Arthur had awoken twice from his recovery slumber, named the remaining ogres and freed all slaves, then fell asleep again.

Six days had passed since then.

He'd awoken on the seventh day, when the sun was shinning over their heads. They had put him in a small bed, mattress made of soft feathers as well as the pillow.

"My head hurts," he groaned with his childish voice, which seemed younger.

"Evaluation of the body... Full body recovery confirmed... Full magic recovery confirmed... Full stamina recovery confirmed... New lineage created... 389 ogres of your lineage evolved to arkogres..."

What lineage? How did the ogres become my lineage? I don't remember giving birth to them? He winced his face.

"Answer: when a monster receives a name, it is linked to the one who named him. Usually the one who names a monster has magical abilities above the average people. It is no different than having offsprings, the only difference is that the monsters grow stronger when the one who name them keep on getting more powerful. To summerise, think of it as a surrogate family that has bad igiene and no table manners... "

My, my, haven't grown bolder when I was asleep? Art smirked. One thing, before they had sworn loyalty to me, can they betray me of their own volition?

" The monsters that were named are not entitled to repay the kindness. They could betray, torture or kill the one who named them if they wished to. No reckoning would follow. Whether they decide to follow you or kill you, is up to the monsters."

He'd noticed when the little voice in his head talked earlier, but now he knew for a fact that the voice had evolved as well. She sounded like his teen daughter whenever a question was asked to her. Suddenly he remembered something. "Hey, why did I fell in a slumber when I gave the ogres names?"

The voice answered right away, "In order to make somebody part of your lineage magic is the source. When you name a monster, the magic stored in your body leaves and enters the body of the monster named. For the magic signature is yours and yours only, a unique link is form between the giver and the receiver. In other words you fell asleep because you named all those arkogres at once and exhausted your all your magic and energy."

Arthur took a deep breath and sighed deeply. He only now noticed that the surrounding of his bed was covered in flowers, no wonder why he smelt a sweet scent in the air when he'd opened his eyes. When still in the older world, Arthur had loved buying flowers from the best florist of the town and gifted them to his wife and daughter. But now the thought of them made him angry. He flushed red and swiftly rose from the bed.

I don' t need them. They betrayed me. They betrayed my love and my trust.

Somehow, the little hut he'd slept in was broader and a lot stronger, lacked from his recollection. Arthur made no sudden gesture and shifted his bare feet to the door made of dry brown leather. Sunlight streamed through the holes and gapes and bathed his face in a colony of fire spots.
He pushed the leather aside and stepped out, the sun in his eyes. He moved a hand over his brow, shielding his eyes from the violent rays of the star of the morning.

What time is it? It looks past midday. I'm hungry.

"Master," said a familiar female voice. He turned to his right to find a woman who wasn't exactly in the category of an ogre. Though she did say that the ogres evolved to arkogres.

Arthur scanned her face for a few instances, her body and clothes to boot. "...Aella...?" he wasn't sure. She looked more... humane...

She went to one knee, her silver armour shining under the sun. "Yes, Master. I'm happy to see that your recovery was a success. Shall we bring you something to eat?"